Interning on the Aronnax
by Griffin Stone
Summary: (AU starting S1E7) Finn makes his choice, but somehow gets kicked off both the Aronnax and the Dark Orca. Joining the Nektons is still his hope, but first he has to convince them that he's really a good guy. Luckily, he's got Fontaine on his side. Ghostly shenanigans, lost languages, ninja teenagers, near-death experiences, and curses abound.
1. Hindsight is 20-20

**A/N: New story! This is an AU that starts near the end of the _Captured_ episode. It's supposed to be mainly funny, and chapter length and styles will vary greatly, depending on how the chapter feels. It will follow the course of the canon episodes, along with some new adventures. If you have anything you want to see in future chapters, just let me know!**

* * *

Finn wasn't having a good day.

In retrospect, Fontiane probably wasn't expecting Finn to take her "your can be sorry, or you can be a pirate" statement seriously. Never mind choosing the "sorry" route.

Too bad Finn hadn't realized that about fifteen minutes earlier… before he'd made his decision… out loud… where his father could hear him. And would it have been too much for the Nektons to believe him?

Instead, Ant had dumped Finn outside the Aronnax and closed the Moon Pool, locking Finn outside with the pirates -and family- that he had just said he wanted nothing more to do with.

Hammerhead knew Finn too well to not believe what Finn had said and very loudly announced that Finn was free to go. Well, maybe not "free to go" more like "get out of my sight" and a declaration that Finn was now an enemy to the Dark Orca.

With returning to the Dark Orca too dangerous -not that Finn really wanted to, he'd always wanted to leave, just not like this- and the Nektons having cut communications, Finn didn't have many options. He barely made it between the prop covers and hull of the Aronnax before both subs were speeding off in separate directions.

Finn hunkered down as the Aronnax picked up speed, mind spinning for an idea on what to do next. All he could come up with was to just wait until the Aronnax stopped, then maybe try to convince the Nektons to let him aboard.

Finn glanced at his oxygen gauge. If they'd surface within two hours, that would be great, too.


	2. Surprise Visitor

**A/N: Two things! First is that I was serious about suggestions. I just have a vague collection of brief interactions, so everything I've written so far is pretty dull.**

**Second is that The Deep finally has it's own category! I'll be switching this story over there tomorrow, in case any of you find this story under the Misc. category.**

**Response to Random Fan: Yeah, Hammerhead isn't such a great father. He might actually be evil for real in this AU, but I haven't decided. And good to know!**

* * *

Fontaine couldn't sleep that night, thinking about Finn despite her efforts to not. Whenever she started to drift off, memories of the desperate look in Finn's eyes as Ant forced him off the Aronnax would flash across her mind.

Eventually, Fontaine gave up and got dressed. The clock showed five in the morning as Fontaine crept into the halls. She spent a bit pacing the halls, but it was too quiet inside.

Kaiko had taken the Aronnax two hours' driving away from the Dark Orca before surfacing for the night, so Fontaine decided to head onto the upper deck. At least she could hear the wind and waves outside.

When Fontaine emerged on deck, the sky was just starting to light up. She leaned against the railing to watch the sunrise, distracted for a moment as the rising sun colored the sky and water red. She smiled and wondered why she didn't watch the sunrise more often.

Scratching distracted Fontaine a few minutes later. She looked around, wondering if someone else had woken up.

The deck was empty. The scratching came again, and Fontaine realized it was coming from the back of the Aronnax. Curious, she went to the end of the deck and leaned over the railing, but didn't see anything.

"Ant?" Fontaine called, wondering if her brother was pranking her.

There was one quick, loud scratch, then nothing.

Fontaine hummed. She glanced up, wondering if she'd spooked a bird resting on the rudder. The sky was empty, as they were too far from land for most seabirds.

Fontaine climbed over the railing. It was unlikely that there was anything on the back of the Aronnax, but Fontaine was still looking for a distraction. Besides, it wouldn't hurt to make sure the props hadn't picked up any debris.

Fontaine scrambled up the side of the Aronnax until she reached a lip at the edge of the hull. She grabbed onto the lip and hauled herself up. She had one leg over the lip when she looked down.

Finn was crouched against the covers, staring wide-eyed up at her.

Fontaine yelped and toppled backward, barely catching herself on the lip. Finn jerked like he was going to grab her, but slipped and fell back against the covers.

For a moment, the teens held their unsteady positions and just stared.

"Finn!" Fontaine finally said. She swung her other leg over the lip and scowled at the pirate boy. "What are you doing here? Did the Dark Orca follow us?"

"N-no," Finn said, uncharacteristically stuttering. "Jus-st m-me. The D-Dark Orc-ca w-went back-ck t-to b-base."

"Why are you…"

Fontaine trailed off as she noticed the cause of Finn's stuttering. He was shivering badly, his scuba gear making the scratching noise that had attracted Fontaine. The exposed hair poking from under his helmet was stiff with dried salt from ocean spray, and his lips were blue with cold.

"Did you spend the whole night back here?" Fontaine asked.

"M-Moon Pool-l w-was c-closed," Finn shivered out. He gave a small grin. "Knock-cking d-didn't w-work."

Fontaine rolled her eyes. Then paused. "You didn't really knock, did you?"

Finn's grin turned downright sheepish.

"Are you serious? There's fifteen feet of water from the door to the floor alone and no one was there, how did you even think you'd get an answer?"

Finn just shivered.

Fontaine sighed. "Well, however it happened, you're here and in the worse place to hang out. Come inside and dry off."

Finn shook his head. "C-could we w-wait? U-until w-we're cl-loser t-to l-land?"

"Why would you-"

Because Ant would only be too happy to dump Finn outside for the second day in a row. Will and Kaiko would think Finn's presence was a trick, and that the Dark Orca was nearby.

But something told Fontaine that Finn wasn't trying to trick her. The pirate boy was stubborn, but stubborn enough to spend the whole night on the back of the Aronnax? The pirates were too straightforward for that.

"Where's the Dark Orca?" Fontaine asked.

Finn shrugged, then stayed in the hunched position. "H-hom-me b-b-base?"

"You're going to explain everything, but not here," Fontaine said, because Finn was starting to look worse. "Come inside."

Finn dropped his head and continued to sit, shiver, and just look miserable in general. Fontaine sighed and dropped beside him.

"Come on." Fontaine grabbed his arm and pulled until Finn slowly unfolded himself. "If you stay out here any longer, you'll be a pirate popsicle."

"N-no' a pir-ra'," Finn mumbled. "_Ni'eo."_

Fontaine raised an eyebrow. "You sound awful. Get up."

Finn shook his head. Fontaine wondered if she'd have to drag him, but doubted she would get far without Finn helping.

"Look, I'm a lot more stubborn than you." Fontaine crossed her arms. "We can wait here all day, or you can get inside and warm. I'll figure out something to tell my parents."

For a moment, Finn still didn't move. Fontaine was starting to worry that he really would stay outside, when Finn shifted forward.

Finn made it halfway standing before his shaking limbs gave out. Fontaine caught him and hauled him into a standing position. Finn got his legs under him, but he was still leaning too much on Fontaine to risk letting go.

"Alright, I'll help you. This one time," Fontaine said lightly.

Finn smiled slightly, but didn't respond. Fontaine guided Finn over the lip and toward the deck, wondering of how and why Finn had been determined to hitch a ride on the Aronnax. He wasn't serious about joining the Nektons.

Right?

* * *

**A/N: He is, Fontaine, get used to it. You're stuck with him. XD**

**Also, Finn was mumbling in a different language. He'll do this on occasion. It's marked by italics and will usually include a translation in the A/N, unless it's a partial word.**


	3. How Far to Land?

**A/N: Whoops, I meant to post this two days ago. Oh, well. The story will get a lot more random after the next chapter, because I just had to establish a few things. Also, Hammerhead is _not_ going to be evil.**

**Response to Random Fan: Funny you should mention blankets and coco, Fontaine's got that covered. And Finn ate all the cookies because he needed a lot of sugar after a night in the ocean. XD**

* * *

It took half an hour, five blankets, and coco for Finn to stop shivering and actually focus on where exactly he was.

"Why are we in your room?"

"I've already told you, my parents will notice if we're in the infirmary," Fontaine said, for the third time.

"And that's… bad?"

"I don't think they'll believe that you're alone."

Finn took a moment to process that. "You believe me?"

"You got dumped outside, but insisted on following. Or, holding onto the Aronnax." Now Fontaine paused. "How did you hold on for two hours?"

"It's not that hard if you know where to hide."

Fontaine didn't think that hitching rides on unsuspecting subs wasn't really a life skill. Then again, he _was_ a pirate. He'd probably been doing it for years.

"I just don't think my parents should know yet," Fontaine said. She moved a stack of books from the desk to the shelf, feeling self-conscious at having someone in her room.

"Do they have to know?" Finn asked.

"I think they'd notice someone new on the Aronnax," Fontaine said.

"How far to the nearest island?" Finn asked.

"We aren't dumping you on an island."

"So… the ocean for me?"

"I think you froze your brain out there." Fontaine crossed her arms. "You're staying here."

"Huh?"

Fontaine frowned. "Is your head okay?"

Finn seemed to think about the question… for a long time.

"Maybe I should get Mum," Fontaine said, starting for the door.

"No, no, I'm fine!"

"Are you sure? Everything I say is going right over your head. More than normal."

Finn huffed and scowled, making Fontaine worry more. What exactly had happened since yesterday? He hadn't smiled or joked since he'd warmed up.

"Look," Fontaine said, deciding she would have to use logic. "We're miles away from land. You couldn't swim that far alone. I'll convince Mum to head for land, and you can leave once we're close."

Fontaine had to wonder why Finn wasn't trying to convince her parents to let him stay, though. He was wanting to go to land, not stay on the Aronnax.

Plus, Fontaine had expected Finn to at least have some way to contact the Dark Orca in case something went wrong. But while he'd been taking off scuba gear she had noticed his communicator missing. His earring was missing, too, Fontaine noticed, and she suddenly wondered if Finn was actually _serious_!

Fontaine decided to ignore her questions. Finn was nodding along with her plan, and that was good enough for her.

"Good. Follow me. I've got a better place you can hide for now," Fontaine said, pulling the vent on the wall open. "Then I'll see what I can do to get the Aronnax toward land."

Right after she went to see Ant and got it into his head that they just _had_ to head further out to sea. She just needed a little extra time to figure out what exactly Finn was up to.

* * *

**A/N: I promise Finn's going to be funny, he's just got to mope for a bit. **


	4. Secret Hideout

**A**/**N: Response to Random Fan: Yep to all those. And now we have Finn's own place. XD Believe me, there will be a lot of almost dying happening in here. XD I know when the rest of the Nektons will discover him, but the timing is actually further out than I thought, so it will be a lot of randomness until then. As for me... inspiration just happens. -waves in a vague direction you could be in-**

* * *

Fontaine was up to something.

"Why do I need to hide in the ducts?" Finn asked, pausing in his crawling through aforementioned air ducts.

"Ant is way too nosy for his own good," Fontaine said, pausing to look back. "You don't want to get found before we get to land, right?"

Right, except Fontaine was grinning like she had a secret. The tables had turned against Finn, but he couldn't help smiling back.

He hadn't been just teasing Fontaine before when he told her she'd make a great pirate, and there was nothing a pirate loved more than secrets and sneaking around. Finn technically wasn't a pirate anymore but, well, he was curious.

"Now come on. And stay quiet," Fontaine warned. "Mum might be up by now, and these ducts carry sound."

Finn nodded and followed Fontaine in silence. After a couple minutes, the teens reached what appeared to be a dead end. But then, Fontaine reached forward and pushed aside the gray cloth and climbed into the space beyond. Finn followed, rolling forward when his hands found open space to land in a crouch.

The new space was a ten-by-fifteen foot room that Fontaine had obviously turned into a secret hideaway. The walls had been brightly painted with the image of a sunny beach -inflatable palm trees included- a few rugs were scattered on the floor, ocean trinkets hung from the pipes criss-crossing the walls, a stack of books sat in one corner, and various odds-and-ends were scattered across the floor.

"It's safe to talk here," Fontaine said. "This room used to hold a back-up generator, so it's soundproof."

"Let me guess, this is how you escape your family," Finn said with a knowing grin.

"Wouldn't you?" Fontaine asked. She started cleaning the hideaway, like she had in her room. Did she think Finn wasn't used to messes? "Mostly Ant. But this will be a safe place for you until we come up with a plan."

"I thought we had a plan," Finn said, sitting on the floor.

"Why do you want to go to land, anyway?"

"Haven't you ever wanted to try living on land?"

"Well…" Fontaine got a wistful smile as she stared at the painted sunset.

Okay, Finn wasn't being serious. Personally, he couldn't stand being on land. It was just too permanent, hard, and dry. Why would Fontaine feel different?

Fontaine looked back at Finn. "What will you do?"

"Well, I couldn't leave the sea for good. Maybe I'll work on a fishing boat," Finn said.

A curious expression flashed across Fontaine's face. "You're actually serious."

"You didn't think I was?"

"You sure sounded sincere yesterday that you didn't want to be a pirate," Fontaine said slowly. "But I thought you wanted to stay on the Aronnax."

"I do!" Finn insisted. "I just think your parents need some time to get used to the idea before I try to stay."

"Mum and Dad will understand if you just explain," Fontaine said, rolling her eyes.

"I still think I should lay low for a bit," Finn said. He was an expert at laying low, after all. "Then when you're in the area again, I can talk to them."

"No good," Fontaine said. "By next week, we'll be halfway across the world. It could be months before we're back here."

He'd be on his own for a while, then. Finn didn't doubt his ability to take care of himself, but one of the issues with the mainland was that a teenager like him on his own would attract attention.

"People would ask questions," said Fontaine, having reached the same thought. "And what would you tell them?"

"That my dad is away on business," Finn said.

"You can't even get a place to stay alone until you're eighteen," Fontaine said.

"Seriously? I once stayed at home base alone for a week. When I was ten!"

"That's not how it works on the mainland."

"Okay, so that's an issue."

"Just stay here," Fontaine said, sitting in front of Finn. "Just for a few days. Then, when the Dark Orca is really out of reach, we'll tell my parents. They can't send you away without the Dark Orca to pick you up!"

Finn nearly asked why they couldn't, then remembered who he was with. The Nektons weren't like the pirates, who would throw off stowaways wherever they happened to be. With them, he actually had a chance to stay.

"Only for a few days," Finn agreed.

* * *

**A/N: Chapters after this drop to a more drabble length until I reach the main plot area. 0w0**


	5. Red's Your Color

**A/N: See if you can find the reference! 0w0**

**Response to Random Fan: -throws out the next chapter- I dunno, Finn's pretty stubborn... new AU idea! Finn trying to live alone on land! XD Much drabbles to come!**

* * *

"This should fit," Fontaine said.

Finn caught the shirt Fontaine tossed his way. It was a plain red T-shirt, with black trim across the bottom.

"Why do you have a box of clothes on the Aronnax?" Finn had to ask.

Fontaine had vanished for half an hour "for supplies," and come back with a box of boy's clothes and cookies for breakfast.

"We pick up a lot of people who are stranded," Fontaine explained as she dug through the box. "They usually need dry clothes until we get to land, so we keep a big store of clothing for those times. We've got six more boxes in the store room."

The two teens found three full sets of clothes for Finn, then Fontaine left to return the other clothes while Finn changed out of his wetsuit.

Finn stared down at the T-shirt, jeans, and thick black socks he now wore. He tried to remember the last time he wore any of those, and drew a blank.

A tapping drew Finn from his thoughts. He peered through the peephole in the blocked, second vent leading to a side hall. He lifted the vent, letting Fontaine inside.

Fontaine looked Finn up and down. Eventually, she said, "Red's a good color on you."

"Was that a compliment?" Finn asked with a grin.

Fontaine threw something red-and-white at him. "It might get cold in here."

"You didn't answer my question," Finn said, shaking out the cloth.

The clothing turned out to be a jacket. It was red with white on the collar and shoulders that ran down to white cuffs. There was a band of yellow across the middle.

"I've got to go," Fontaine said, continuing to avoid the question. "If you need the bathroom, just take the first left in the duct and go until you reach a dead end. There's a vent there that leads to a guest room we never use. I'll be back in a few hours."


	6. Should Have Known

**A/N: Almost drabble lenght with this one! XD**

**Response to Random Fan: -holds out new chapter for wherever you are- Correct! It's Keith's jacket!**

* * *

Fontaine returned to the hideout at midday with sandwiches, but Finn had other things on his mind.

"What do you do when your oxygen levels drop suddenly?" Finn asked.

"Get Mom," Fontaine said, unsure of what exactly he meant.

"Okay… how often does that happen?"

"Never."

Finn stared at her. "What?"

"What?"

"You aren't seriously trying to tell me that your oxygen levels are always stable."

"Yes, I am, actually. Are you getting enough air?" Fontaine teased.

"Yes, and that's… weird. What kind of sub has stable oxygen levels?"

"All subs."

"Huh." Finn rubbed his chin. "I should've known there was something weird on this sub when the toilet worked."

"Finn… I don't even want to know."


	7. Acting Innocent

**A/N: Drabble chapters probably shouldn't be timed so close together, but, eh. I'm kind of going with whatever comes to mind.**

**And I can't wait for when Finn's presence is discovered. XD**

**Response to Random Fan: -calmly holds out next chapter- Finn's got it good on the Aronnax. **

* * *

That evening, Fontaine gathered an armload of blankets and pillows. She'd gotten away with spending several hours with Finn -who'd been oddly quiet, the result being Fontaine had rambled about the surrounding seas- and so assumed no one would notice.

"Fontaine."

The girl nearly leaped out of her skin upon hearing Kaiko behind her. She spun, frantically trying to keep her bundle from falling while smiling in a way that hopefully didn't look too guilty.

"It's not laundry day," Kaiko said, gesturing to the bedding.

"I'm not washing it, I'm just… taking it to my other room," Fontaine said, figuring it to be a safe excuse. Kaiko was the only other person who knew about Fontaine's little hideout.

"You need to sleep in your bedroom, Fontaine," Kaiko said. Her brows creased. "I haven't seen you very much today. Is everything alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," Fontaine said, lifting a hand to wave off the concern. "And don't worry, I'm sleeping in my own room. This is just for… comfort. You know, for when I'm alone…"

"I'm here if you need to talk," Kaiko said. Fontaine stared at her. "Are you still upset about Finn's trick yesterday?"

Oh, boy. Well, not really anymore, but only because Finn was serious and was hiding on the Aronnax…

"It's fine, Mom," Fontaine said, shrugging and making her face as uncaring as possible. "Really."

Luckily, Kaiko wasn't one to fuss over her kids. She simply waited for a moment, then reminded Fontaine that it was lights off in an hour before leaving.

Fontaine hurried for her hideout, wondering why she hadn't just told Kaiko about Finn.

_"It's too soon,"_ she decided.


	8. Moping Finn

**A/N: Totally meant to post this yesterday, but Google Docs was glitching out on me. **

**Time for a little more serious bits.**

**Response to Random Fan: Kaiko doesn't know about Finn yet. **

* * *

"Don't tell me. The Aronnax doesn't have heat," Finn said when Fontaine arrived.

Fontaine rolled her eyes. "Don't be ridiculous. We'd all be frozen if that was true. Don't tell me the Dark Orca doesn't, though."

"Nah. The boiler's the only thing that actually works all the time." Finn paused. "A little too well, sometimes."

"You really need a mechanic," Fontaine said, dumping the bedding.

"Tell the Cap'n that," Finn said.

Fontaine glanced at Finn. He'd sounded a bit weird just then, and he refused to look at her. Instead, he sorted through the bedding before discovering the lantern hidden in the blankets.

"All the lights on the Aronnax are connected, except for our bedrooms," Fontaine explained. "Mom'll turn the lights off soon, and I wasn't sure if pirates were afraid of the dark."

When _that_ comment didn't get a response, Fontaine knew something was wrong.

"Finn." Fontaine leaned into his line of sight. "Why are you really here?"


	9. Not a Pirate

**A/N: I put the next two chapters together, because the drabble-size chapters that take place so close together were getting annoying to me. Back to the time lapses in the next chapter!**

**Response to Random Fan: Yeah, moping Finn is boring! And I did mean that the Dark Orca is typically overheating. Poor pirates. XD I know the feeling. Hang in there!**

* * *

Finn fiddled with the lantern and looked away, but Fontaine was stubborn. She simply moved back into his vision and took the lantern. Finn could tell she was trying to be stern, but her eyes were concerned.

"I meant what I said," Finn said. "Yesterday. That I didn't want to be a pirate. And, well, now I'm not."

"Can you do that?" Fontaine asked. "Just quit being a pirate?"

Typically, no. Finn half-expected Hammerhead to track him down and drag him back to the Dark Orca. But at the same time…

"Dad disowned me," Finn said, trying not to wince. Fontaine's horrified look didn't help, so he added, "It happens more often than you'd think."

Fontaine sputtered a bit before managing, "So?"

"So, what?"

"So, what does that have to do with the fact that you're here? How's this time different?"

"It was for real this time," Finn said.

"Hammerhead doesn't seem to be one to stick with his decisions," Fontaine said skeptically and, well, she wasn't wrong. "Won't he just want you back?"

"Eh, not for at least a week," Finn said. "First time he used the Turncoat Curse on me."

"You say that like it should be capitalized," Fontaine commented. "What is that?"

"Eh, nothing anymore," Finn said. "Years ago, though, it meant that… well, let's just say I wouldn't be welcome on too many pirate ships. Or anywhere."

Fontaine raised an eyebrow. Waiting. Finn drew a finger across his throat.

"What?!"

"Nobody does it for real anymore, relax," Finn said, laughing at Fontaine's panicked face. "It's not for real. And even if it was, the Cap'n doesn't dislike me that much. He was just mad and saying things. He always was fond of the old traditions."

"That doesn't make it okay," Fontaine said.

"He's a pirate. That's what pirates do."

"And you aren't a pirate anymore."

"Nope."

Finn waited for Fontaine's disbelieving look or for her to laugh. Instead, she cocked her head and asked a question.

"So… what does that make you now?"

It should have been a simple question, but...

"I… I don't know."

* * *

Fontaine stared at Finn for a long time. How could he _not _know what he wanted to do? Even if he'd spent his whole life doing what he didn't want… did he think he'd never leave? Had he never entertained the idea of doing anything besides pirating?

"Well," Fontaine said. Finn jumped, making Fontaine wonder how long they'd been silent. "I guess it's decided, then."

"What's decided?"

Fontaine stood. "What I'm doing about you."

"We already-"

"Nope, we're ignoring that plan," Fontaine interrupted, heading for the vent. "You're staying here, and I'm going to find you a purpose on the Aronnax."

"But-"

"No arguments!" Fontaine shot back with a grin.

Just before Fontaine closed the vent, she caught sight of Finn's relieved smile.


	10. Hiding is Easy When No One is Looking

**A/N: I had to establish that, yes, the Nekton family is hopelessly oblivious to their stowaway.**

**Guest review responses!  
Random Fan: There's no getting rid of Finn now! And Fontaine's gonna hide him as long as humanly possible. -hands cookies to Finn and stashes the rest-  
**

**ANONYMOUS (reviewing back on chapter one, hopefully you see this): Lone Wolf Chris would be for a new -for me- fandom called Wild Kratts.**

* * *

Hiding Finn on the Aronnax was almost disappointingly easy.

None of Fontaine's family suspected there was a pirate on board, so they weren't looking for any. Nobody cared that Fontaine was eating "in her room" because it was rare for the whole family to eat in the kitchen, or that she was eating more than normal because the family was so busy; it was normal for them to eat a lot. And her parents were used to her hiding to get away from Ant, so they never wondered when she started vanishing more than normal.

Even Ant didn't cause any issues! He was too involved tinkering with the new Knight in the Moon Pool room to care where Fontaine was.

It quickly became boring. Which probably wasn't a good thing for two teenagers, one of whom was looking for a hobby.


	11. Ninja Mode: Nope!

**A/N: If anyone didn't get a response to their review of the last chapter, my apologies. I was pulled away from this story a couple months ago and hadn't been keeping up on reviews.**

**But now I'm back! I'm going to have a lot of the "Ninja Mode" chapters, so if you have any theme suggestions, let me know!**

**Guest responses: Random Fan: Yep, the entire family is zoned out. XD Luckily, Will and Kaiko strike me as pretty laid-back parents. Also, I'm laughing because you've predicted the theme of another chapter! XD**

**ANONYMOUS: You're welcome!**

* * *

The coast is clear!" Fontaine said, hopping out of the vent.

"Are you sure?" Finn asked in a whisper.

"Yep!" Fontaine said, still in her normal voice. "Come on, you need to stretch your legs."

"Plenty of stretch room in here," Finn muttered as he crawled slowly toward the vent.

Fontaine grinned. "It's time you got a tour of the Aronnax."

Finn, nearly in the hall, froze. "What if someone sees us?"

"It's not a full tour," Fontaine said with a sigh. "But Dad and Ant are in the study, and Mom's studying some new fish she spotted this morning. And we can reach a lot of places without passing any cameras."

"Sounds like a security risk," Finn said, regaining his smile as he squirmed out to stand beside Fontaine.

"It's pretty rare for a pirate to actually get aboard," Fontaine said. "Not without help."

Finn's response was interrupted by Kaiko's voice through Fontaine's wrist comm.

"Fontaine, have you seen my fabric ruler?"

"Uh…"

Fontaine was briefly distracted by the eel-faced look Finn gave her. Finn spun and practically dove back into the duct, vanishing in seconds.

"Fontaine?" Kaiko repeated.

"Oh, yeah," Fontaine lifted her communicator. "Ant was using it earlier. Something about Jeffrey getting fat."

"Of course Ant was," Kaiko said, fond exasperation in her voice. "Thanks, Fontaine."

"No problem." Fontaine lowered her comm and peeked back through the vent. "You can come out, nobody's here."

"I just… don't want to take any chances," Finn's muffled voice said.

"Since when?" Fontaine scoffed and dropped the vent cover. "More cookies for me then."

Fontaine leaned against the wall, waiting. A moment later, the cover slowly lifted.

"Does the promise of cookies get any boy moving?" Fontaine asked, startling Finn.

The boy glanced at her with a sheepish grin. "Your mom makes good cookies."

"Well, I can't argue there." Fontaine pushed herself off the wall and started down the hall. She smiled when she heard Finn's feet pattering after her.

* * *

**A/N: What do you think? DestinyDragons101 gave me the fishy alternative to "deer in the headlights" look, as eels have wide eyes and gaping mouths. XD**


	12. The Hat

**A/N: This important to the plot, 'kay?**

**Response to Random Fan: Its a hard phrase to convert, huh? Finn gets all the cookies. 0w0**

* * *

"Here."

Finn started to turn, then was blinded by something being dropped against his face. He pushed it up, rolling his eyes at Fontaine's pleased grin. He pulled off the object.

It was a hat. Military-style, so the edges extended further than a typical ball cap and the brim had a longer curve. It was black in color with red along the seams and a red image of a dolphin embroidered on the side.

"You're so worried about the cameras. This will hide your face."

"Yeah, because someone who obviously isn't a Nekton being on the Aronnax is a lot less worrisome than a pirate," Finn said sarcastically.

Fontaine plucked the hat back and shoved it on Finn's head. "Exactly!"


	13. Wildlife Expert

**A/N: I actually forgot I had this... Takes place right after the _Fossil_ episode.**

**Response to Random Fan: Totally.**

* * *

Finn wondered if all the Nektons had a death wish, or if it was just Ant. Fontaine had just finished explaining how the Nektons' fossil exploration had gone. The fossils hadn't been fossils, but a still existing species; the exploration team had lost rebreathers and -in Ant's case- an entire wetsuit; and the entire family had nearly been eaten.

In short, disastrously.

"Who in their right mind sees a giant, hatching egg, and decides to stick around?"

Fontaine smirked. "Whoever claims that Ant is in his right mind has obviously never met him. What would you have done?"

"Gotten away before the egg hatched, hide my trail before the mother came back," Finn said. "Not stuck around with the baby, and for seas' sake, I wouldn't have fed it!"

"Maybe you should come along with us next time to make sure Ant doesn't get a giant baby alligator to imprint on him," Fontaine said.

"Crocodile, actually." Finn pointed to the video image from the Swamp Knight. "See how all the teeth are poking out and the pointy muzzle? Alligators have broader muzzles that hide all the teeth."

"I was trying to _avoid_ the muzzle, Finn," Fontaine dead-panned.


	14. The Test: Intruder!

**A/N: Some rewrites of the episodes will be handled as mini-arcs, each chapter likely only covering five-minute snatches of the episode unless it's a really important episode to this plot or I get hyper-driven to write Finn doing something in the background. ;P**

**Response to Random Fan: Surely, if you're going to get eaten by something, you'd want to know what, right? XD Finn never staked on the Nektons being as being as reckless as his own family! XD**

* * *

Blaring alarms startled Finn so badly he fell right off his chair. He scrambled to stand, eyes darting around the space as he tried to figure out the cause for the alarm.

He'd never heard an alarm in the two weeks since he'd been on board. He hoped he hadn't been discovered, but he hadn't left the generator room in the last four days.

When the alarm continued for another minute, Finn relaxed. The alarm didn't seem to be about him, so he'd just have to wait until Fontaine returned. Unless…

Finn turned to the duct that led deeper into the Aronnax. While explorations of the Aronnax by way of the halls were rare -Finn was still cautious about being caught- he and Fontaine made use of the ducts on a regular basis. He had a pretty good mental map of the ductwork.

Before he could make a move toward the ducts, Fontaine tumbled out. She landed on her feet with practiced ease, then straightened. Her eyes were wide and worried.

"Is something wrong?" Finn asked.

"Somebody stole the Chronicle," Fontaine said.

"The what?"

"There's an intruder on the Aronnax," Fontaine explained. "Come on, I need help checking the ducts. You check the stern area, I'll take the bow."

Finn nodded and followed her into the ducts.

* * *

Nearly twenty minutes later, Finn was panting from crawling through the ducts. He'd thought he knew every part of the ducts, but he'd discovered a lot of new crannies he'd never found. All of them were empty, though, so Finn back-tracked toward the generator room.

"Finn!" Fontaine's voice hissed at him when he'd nearly reached his hideout.

Finn twisted to glance behind him. Fontaine smiled at him and gestured for him to continue. Finn crawled to the end of the duct and tumbled to the floor. He stood, while Fontaine poked her head into the room.

"Ant found the intruder in the docking bay," Fontaine explained. She grabbed something held under her arm, and held it out. "I've got to go, but you can watch from the cameras in Dad's study."

Finn took the offered tablet and turned it on. He raised an eyebrow upon seeing the princess-y game and book apps over a pink, unicorn-patterned background.

Fontaine blushed a bit. "It's an old one of mine, but it's still connected to the Aronnax systems." She twisted away and squirmed out of sight before Finn could tease her.

Chuckling, Finn scrolled through the apps until he found an app labeled, "Boring stuff." Inside was access to Aronnax security cameras and notes from missions.

As Finn opened the cameras, a thought suddenly hit him. Fontaine trusted him. Not once had she accused him of stealing the Chronicle, not even acting suspicious. She had given him access to the Aronnax cameras. Other things, most likely, if he poked around the tablet more.

Why?

Finally deciding he'd have to ask her later, Finn opened the camera footage.


	15. The Test: Finn Wants to Smack Someone

**A/N: I wrote _The Test_'s mini-arc immediately after watching the episode. It suddenly struck me how naive the Nektons can be. Of course, that's what I love about them, but Finn is less than impressed.**

**Random Fan: Ah, Kingdom Hearts. I tried to get into it, but it's hard when I only have access to the second manga series and a video game from the middle. Nope, it's Nereus!**

* * *

After fifteen minutes of watching the Nektons interact with this "Nereus" character, Finn didn't think his going undetected on the Aronnax for so long was quite as impressive anymore. Because the Nektons didn't _think_.

When, five minutes later, three of the family members left Kaiko alone with Nereus, Finn wanted to run to the Moon Pool room and smack somebody.

Because, seriously. While Nereus looked like a harmless old man, he had to be anything but. He'd broken into the Aronnax, for crying out loud! Apparently without alerting anyone until somebody noticed a treasure missing. He'd carried the "Chronicle" with ease, while Finn had seen Will struggle a bit with it. And they were leaving that guy with Kaiko?

Then Kaiko literally turned her back on Nereus -while telling him to behave- and had the naivety to be surprised when he was gone.

Finn watched long enough to ensure that Kaiko found Nereus, then searched the tablet until he found the connection to the White Knight's cameras. If he didn't move on now, he wouldn't be able to stop himself from going to Kaiko.

* * *

**A/N: Needless to say, Finn takes longer to come around to Nereus.**


	16. The Test: Mechanical Mayhem

**Response to Random Fan: Yes, the Nektons are WAY too trusting for their own good. XD**

* * *

Since the Dark Orca's navigations systems worked maybe half the time, Finn wasn't overly alarmed when the White Knight's cameras moved into murky water. It did make for some boring footage, though.

Finn poked around the tablet, but couldn't find any way to turn on the audio to the Knights. By the time he gave up, the Knights had found their way out of the murk, anyway.

Finn was relieved for about two minutes, at which point he discovered all Nektons liked to touch new creatures. Which wasn't a problem. Not really.

Unless the creatures decided to hug them back.

Finn jumped when the jellyfish grabbed the Knight. "What in the…?"

Finn squinted at the screen when Fontaine wrestled a tentacle from the Knight. It didn't look real, and Finn's thought was confirmed when wires lit up inside the jellyfish.

"Come on!" Finn said while Fontaine struggled against the machine.

Finn didn't realize he was leaning tensely forward until he slumped back in relief when Fontaine flung the machine off. He self-consciously straightened.

"Uh, Ant needs help," Finn commented, spotting the Shadow Knight struggling from the corner of the camera. "Like, right now!"

Luckily, the Rover swept in out of nowhere and ripped the jellyfish from Ant's Knight.

Finn rolled his eyes toward the ceiling. "Robotic jellyfish. What next?"

Finn turned his attention back to the screen. He frowned as the Rover and Knights turned back the way they'd come.

"What, you're leaving? Did you find the Ephymicron? Or were you seriously scared off by a couple of little robots? Come on, what kind of treasure hunters are you?" Finn squinted, then wished he could talk to Fontaine. "And where's Ant?"

* * *

**A/N: If the Nektons aren't careful, they're gonna make Finn blow his cover. XD**

**That's it for this mini-arc, as Finn is just face-palming for the rest of the adventure. XD And the next two chapters are actually vital to the plot, so stick around!**


	17. Rune Reader: Vent Verification

**A/N: The Chronicle's arc is going to be another sporadic, ongoing arc for this story.**

**Guest responses:**

**Random Fan: XD Yeah, Finn just can't catch a break. And he's not QUITE ready to show himself, so the slapping will have to wait. XD**

**AshyGurl101: Thanks for the review! I'd rather you didn't copy my story onto another site. I am on Wattpad, though. I don't usually post over there because I don't get much response (FF always gets more feedback) but I did get IotA posted over there!**

* * *

It wasn't even dawn when Finn eased himself close to the vent in Will's study. The metal under him squeaked and snapped until he settled himself down. Few sections on the duct made so much noise when Finn was moving around, so he usually avoided the study. But, something he'd seen the day before had him curious.

Finn tried to make himself comfortable while still able to peek through the vents. There was no telling how long he'd have to wait, especially once someone entered the study.

Luckily, Finn didn't have to wait long.

Will walked into the study, clearly distracted. He opened a panel on the wall and pulled out the Chronicle of the Deep to set on his desk. He did something its side, then opened the outside of the Chronicle like Nereus.

Finn leaned forward. He stiffened when the metal crinkled under him, but Will was too busy studying the Chronicle to notice.

Finn squinted at the runes on the Chronicle, but they didn't make any sense to him. His fingers absently traced the runes on the duct, and Finn wished he had thought to bring a notebook.

For the next half hour, Will studied the Chronicle. Occasionally, he made a note on his tablet, but he mostly stared at the Chronicle with a frown. He eventually sighed and put his head in his hands.

"What am I missing?" Will whispered.

After a moment, Will stood and reassembled the Chronicle, then put it in it's wall compartment. He left, too focused on his tablet to even glance back.

Once he was gone, Finn shuffled away. He was already planning to return the next morning with a notebook, then paused at a thought.

If he asked Fontaine for help in studying the Chronicle, would she? It was obviously important to the Nektons, and the runes had to be ancient. Letting Finn hide was one thing, would she let him see something so important?

"Well," Finn murmured as he crawled on, "Only one way to find out."


	18. Rune Reader: Dabbling

**A/N: I renamed the Chronicle arc to the Rune Reader arc, since it fits the overall theme better.**

**I have seriously been trying to figure out why Fontaine, who was raised in an open, honest family, would keep Finn a secret for so long. This chapter starts off a series of longer chapters in order to answer this question.**

**By the end of the next few chapters, you'll probably hate either me or Hammerhead. I'm radically changing how I usually write Hammerhead, but it honestly probably is more canon-suitable.**

**Response to Random Fan: Yes he would be, and yes you do. Join the club. XD Oh, a whole lotta stuff's about to happen.**

* * *

Fontaine knew something was on Finn's mind the moment she slipped into their hideout. He was antsy and twitchy, reminding Fontaine of when she'd first taken him aboard.

"What's going on?" Fontaine asked carefully as she sat across from Finn.

Finn stared at the floor and fiddled with his fingers for a moment. He looked up and opened his mouth, then seemed to change his mind. Fontaine waited, unsure of what could be going through his head.

"Why do you trust me?" Finn blurted.

Fontaine raised an eyebrow in confusion. Finn stumbled on.

"I'm a- was… was a pirate, you know that. Pirates steal and-and lie, and why would you trust that? I mean, you didn't even care, but your family sure would. They're amazing and helpful and nice, and why would they let a thieving-"

Fontaine pressed a finger to Finn's lips and halted his rambling, less with the action and more with the words, "Because you're my friend."

An odd expression crossed Finn's face. It was equal parts confusion and joy, with a hint of embarrassed hurt.

Fontaine pursed her lips. From his reaction, Fontaine half-wondered if Finn had ever had someone call him "friend." Surely he had; how could a sixteen-year-old not have any friends?

A sixteen-year-old pirate boy who'd likely lived in a sub his whole life with nothing but adults and a little sister to keep him company. Fontaine was sheltered, but at least she had a few friends and actually _met_ people.

"What brings all this up?" Fontaine asked, trying for casual.

Finn blinked and took a moment to respond. "Well, you know yesterday when Nereus stole the Chronicle, and you and I were looking for him?"

"Yes?"

"You didn't… you never asked me if I'd taken it."

"Of course not. You didn't even know it existed." Fontaine grinned, then grew serious. "Plus, I believe you when you say you don't want to steal and lie anymore."

Finn's eyes widened. Fontaine held back a grimace. Was it really so hard for him to believe that people could take him at his word?

"The Cap'n always… heard what he needed to hear," Finn murmured.

Fontaine waited for Finn to elaborate, but he didn't. Instead, Finn gave her a clearly strained smile.

"Well, that isn't a problem here," Fontaine said. Watching Finn's face, she added, "My parents would believe it, too."

Stark terror flooded Finn's eyes. It took him a moment to hide it, then he refused to meet Fontaine's eyes. He suddenly couldn't sit still.

...Fontaine wondered if Finn realized how easy he was to read. Was he really that scared of her parents? Why?

Fontaine guessed that Finn wouldn't tell her if she asked -even former pirates "had no fear"- so she simply changed the subject.

"What were you doing this morning?" she asked simply as she finally removed her backpack of food supplies.

Finn blinked, relief in his eyes, then answered, "Actually, I wanted to ask you something…"

Again with the hesitation. Fontaine feigned disinterest. "Double-checking that plumbing is actually a thing on the Aronnax?"

Fontaine was relieved when Finn chuckled and relaxed. "No, I think you've convinced me of that one."

"Need to run through emergency exits?" Fontaine teased. "In case we spring a leak?"

"Do you actually have emergency exits?" Finn teased right back. "After all, an _amazing_ and _indestructible_ sub like this surely doesn't need emergency exits."

"I never called the Aronnax indestructible!" Fontaine laughed.

"Eh, I can put the clues together." Finn sobered. "But, uh… no, that's not what I wanted to ask."

"Alright, what has your interest now?"

Finn opened his mouth, closed it, then blurted, "I want to know about the Chronicle."

Fontaine blinked. "Huh?"

"Nereus and your dad made it sound important, and I got a peek at the runes…" Finn trailed off.

Fontaine frowned thoughtfully. "That might be the one thing I can't tell you about, Finn."

Finn twitched, like he was ready to pull away. "Oh, right, pretty important…"

"Yes, it's very important," Fontaine agreed. "But Nereus is Dad's friend, and _he_ gets to do whatever he likes with it, so I don't see why _my friend_ can't know. I just can't tell you anything because I don't know a thing about the Chronicle."

Finn blinked at her. "You don't?"

"It was always more Dad and Ant's thing," Fontaine admitted. "They get excited about dead languages and myths."

"And you don't?" Finn's eyes were comically huge.

"It's interesting and all, but I'd rather study what's here now," Fontaine said with a shrug. "If we actually find Lemuria, though…"

"Lemuria?" Finn leaned forward. "You're looking for Lemuria?"

"Yeah. How do you know what Lemuria is? Or, was?" Fontaine returned.

"Why wouldn't I? I mean, it's not as well-known as the Atlantis myth," Finn said.

Fontaine snorted. "Tell me about it. Mom's resorted to explaining Lemuria as 'think of Atlantis, but in the Pacific.'"

Finn sat back with a laugh. "I guess that's a simple way of putting it."

Fontaine smiled and shook her head. "But, yeah, we're looking for Lemuria."

"And that's a secret?" Finn asked.

"Not really. Nektons have been searching for Lemuria for generations," Fontaine said. "Nobody takes our search seriously anymore, but we are. And the Chronicle is the best clue for finding Lemuria in decades. Dad's trying to translate it, so we can find something called an Ephemychron. It's supposed to be, like, an ancient computer or something. I'll believe it when I see it."

"Atlanteans had magic crystals. Could an ancient computer be so weird?"

Fontaine stared at Finn. "The magic crystals are a myth, though."

Finn glanced around the room with exaggerated movements, then leaned closer. He waved Fontaine closer with a childish grin. Fontaine complied, now thoroughly curious.

"They were real," Finn whispered, then sat back.

Fontaine gave a brilliant, "Huh?"

Finn's grin grew. "I've been waiting to tell someone for two years. Da- er, the Cap'n didn't care about such things. We never did find a crystal, so they might all be gone…"

"Wait, back up." Fontaine waited until Finn focused on her. "_How_ do you know that the magic crystals were real?"

"I read it on a rock. He was cursing his misfortune and those 'cursed Atlanteans and their cursed glowing beasts and their cursed magic crystals.' That's a rough translation, of course. It was pretty faded."

"What was?" Fontaine asked, exasperated. "Who was cursing those crystals? It could have been somebody messing around."

"Maybe. But it was _carved into a rock,_ Fontaine," Finn said. "You'd have to be pretty dedicated to do that for a prank. Not to mention the effort of learning Lemurian just to curse a myth? I don't think so."

Fontaine nodded along to Finn's first point, then her brain caught up. "It was written in _Lemurian_?"

"Pretty sure. I didn't have a name for it at the time, since I'd never seen anything like it. But then I saw the Chronicle, and the runes are very similar."

"Back up again." Fontaine grabbed Finn's shoulders, ignoring his startled jump. "You_ can read Lemurian_?"

"Well… a little bit."

Fontaine just stared. Her family had spent decades, _centuries_ looking for clues to Lemurian's existence or language. And Finn had apparently stumbled across Lemurian carvings?

"How?" Fontaine muttered, wondering how her family could have missed so much.

Finn, misunderstanding the question, responded, "What? I dabble in languages. If you ever need to read a Spanish map or decipher a Latin code, I'm your man. Lemurian is even trickier than Latin, though..."

"Finn, you can read Lemurian!"

Finn raised his eyebrows. "Yes?"

"That's amazing!" Fontaine exclaimed. "Dad's been trying for weeks to translate the Chronicle and Nereus has been absolutely no help. Do you know how thrilled he'd be to have someone who knows Lemurian?"

"I'm not exactly fluent," Finn said hurriedly. "I know a few terms and figured the rest out by context-"

"So?" Fontaine interrupted.

"I…" Finn's eyes moved away. "I don't think I'll be that much help."

Fontaine stared. Finn wasn't usually one to sell himself short; bragging was one pirate habit in which Finn had never failed.

"I just wanted to see some pictures of the Chronicle, maybe," Finn mumbled.

Fontaine shook her head. "If we tell Dad-"

Finn flinched, then immediately glanced at Fontaine as though hoping the action had gone unnoticed. Fontaine thought he looked more confused than upset, but he still acted fearful.

"What's the matter, Finn?"

"Let's just wait," Finn insisted. "Until… until I get better at reading Lemurian. I want to be able to help."

Fontaine was quiet for a moment. She accepted Finn's reason in seconds, but wondered what else was being left unsaid.

He didn't really think her parents would decide he was useless and get rid of him without a second thought, did he? That was ridiculous, though. She knew he'd interacted with her family for several years off-and-on, and Hammerhead was always calling them "do-gooders" anyway.

So, Finn had to know that her family was accepting and friendly -he'd said so himself on multiple occasions- yet he still didn't want to show himself? Why? What had Hammerhead taught Finn?

Fontaine suddenly realized how little she knew about Finn's upbringing. She was as much in the dark about Finn's family as Finn was about hers. She wanted to ask questions, but something told her that he wouldn't be open to sharing.

Fontaine made herself focus on the present. Finn was already getting twitchy again, and Fontaine didn't want to scare him off. She'd have to take it slow, like the orphaned seal pup she'd worked to befriend and relocate with Kaiko a few years back.

...Fontaine was never telling Finn that she was comparing him to a seal pup.

"Alright, we'll do it your way," Fontaine agreed. "I'll get you some pictures of the Chronicle so you can see if you can read it."

The stark relief on Finn's face hardened Fontaine's resolve to figure Finn's family out.

* * *

**A/N: Yes, Fontaine is kind of betraying her family by telling Finn about the Chronicle and agreeing to letting him see it, but she doesn't see it that way. Finn's her friend and, as far as she's concerned, he as much of a right to seeing it as Nereus.**

**Also, Finn will be getting his own Knight in the future. Any suggestions?**


	19. Family Ties and Rats

**A/N: I became a sperm whale expert overnight. XD**

**Any volunteers for giving Finn hugs? I need to recruit my sister to make a mini-Finn like the mini-Matt she made for _Fifth General_. XD**

**Response to Random Fan: It would have been! XD Yeah, poor kid. It started out as "oh, let's have fun and see how long this can go" but I realized that Fontaine kind of needed a real reason. XD No problemo. I'm thinking it _will _have something to do with his skills, maybe a Mech Knight? I dunno, either. XD I'm going to give all the cookies to Finn, because he needs them for the next bit. 0_0**

* * *

Fontaine was still reeling over Finn's knowledge of Lemurian an hour later as she wandered the halls. Will would love help translating, Fontaine knew. Of course, she also knew how opposed Finn was to showing himself to the rest of her family.

Why? Everyone knew Nektons were kind and friendly to a fault. Quite literally, as their willingness to trust and help everyone had ended with Finn asking to be allowed to join them.

In fact, when Fontaine first decided to keep Finn hidden, she had decided to blame her genes if something went wrong. She had since realized that Finn was a good guy for real, but it might not hurt if Fontaine borrowed one of Ant's cheesy speeches about helping people in need if her parents weren't quite thrilled by their newest crew member.

Fontaine was startled out of her thoughts when she almost ran into Kaiko.

"Fontaine, there you are," Kaiko said. "Can you help me with the drone?"

"Sure," Fontaine said readily.

"Thanks," Kaiko said, then continued walking toward the Moon Pool room. "We'll be crossing paths with a pod of sperm whales soon, and we will be putting a tracker on one of them."

"Tracking migrations?" Fontaine guessed.

"Mostly, yes," Kaiko said with a smile. "But also because Ant has a new plan for finding a giant squid."

"Again? Ant is obsessed."

"I seem to recall that you've had your fair share of obsessions," Kaiko said easily. "Remember the unicorn-"

"I was ten, Mum!" Fontaine interrupted, embarrassed.

"Whether or not we find evidence of Ant's giant squid, I still want to track the pod's migration." Kaiko opened the door to the Moon Pool room. "And if Ant finds a giant squid, it's even better. Just try to be encouraging, Fontaine, please."

"I'll try," Fontaine said with a sigh.

Fontaine and Kaiko worked in silence for a bit. Fontaine handed the tools under the Rover to Kaiko to attach the drone's pod on the Rover's underside. The drone would be controlled from inside the Rover by a passenger, who would likely be Ant.

While she watched, Fontaine's mind drifted back to her conversation with Finn earlier. She'd planned to approach the topic of Hammerhead's family with Will, who, frankly, would be less likely to connect any dots than Kaiko. However, Fontaine thought she knew a fairly innocent way to ask her mom about Finn.

"Whale pods are like one big family, right?" Fontaine asked.

"Somewhat," Kaiko said. "Females stick with their social unit, but mature males do leave after a time. But those who stick around are fiercely protective of their group. We'll have to keep our distance. Sperm whales have few predators, but there's no telling how they might respond to something as big as the Aronnax."

"They wouldn't attack us, would they?" Fontaine asked.

"We'll keep our distance and the water is too cold for any calves to be born soon, so it's unlikely," Kaiko assured her.

Fontaine nodded, though she wasn't really worried about the whales attacking. Kaiko knew whales as well as anyone could; she wouldn't put them in any danger. Fontaine was more distracted in trying to figure out a better way to bring up Finn.

Luckily -or, perhaps, unluckily- Kaiko could read Fontaine even better than whale behavior. As soon as she saw her mom lower her wrench from a still-loose bolt, Fontaine knew she was sunk.

"What's on your mind, Fontaine?" Kaiko asked.

"Families."

Kaiko cocked her head. "Any in particular?"

"Um… of the killer whale variety?"

"Something tells me you aren't worrying about orcas attacking our whale pod," Kaiko said with a knowing smile.

Fontaine stared. "How do you do that?"

"It's a mother's gift." Kaiko slid out from under the Rover and sat up, resting her arms across her knees. "Now, what has you thinking about the Dark Orca?"

Fontaine wondered what Finn would say if she dragged Kaiko to his hideout that instant. He'd probably freak. Kaiko would probably freak; she wasn't a big fan of Finn after his attempted betrayal a few weeks ago.

"Finn," Fontaine said regardless. "I just can't forget what Finn said. And how sincere he looked."

"Fontaine, Finn was just doing what his dad has taught him," Kaiko said. "He wanted to trick you."

Fontaine shook her head. "Did you see his eyes?"

"I was too busy watching Hammerhead," Kaiko admitted. "What about them?"

"He _meant_ it. We talked while we were 'captives.'" Fontaine couldn't help putting air quotes around "captives," making Kaiko smile. "It sounds like he was forced into being a pirate."

"You think he really wanted out?" Kaiko asked.

Fontaine silently cheered at Kaiko's thoughtful expression. "I think so. Has Finn always been pirating with Hammerhead?"

Kaiko stared into space for a minute. "I remember first seeing Madeline when she was four or five. I didn't realize Hammerhead and Violet had had children until then."

Fontaine realized something. "I don't think I've ever met Finn's mum."

"She used to go with him on his raids all the time, until she vanished sixteen years ago. I bet she stayed someplace safer than the Dark Orca once Finn was born."

Kaiko talked slowly, sounding as though she was sorting her thoughts for the first time. "I didn't see either kid until six years ago. About the same time, Hammerhead had grown more erratic with his pillaging."

"When Violet was with him, Hammerhead wasn't this… wild. He was a planner, or perhaps it was Violet. Either way, he became more aggressive when she first stopped going with him. Six years ago, he was very violent for several months before falling back into his old habits."

"'Violent'?" Fontaine repeated shakily.

"Nobody died, but there were some very close calls." Kaiko shook her head. "Your father and Hammerhead may banter, but we can't forget that Hammerhead can be very dangerous when he wants to be."

"Do you think Finn and Madeline were ever in danger?"

Fontaine had heard of abusive families. She thought back to Finn's jumpy behavior whenever she brought up her parents. She felt sick.

"From the start, we knew Madeline wouldn't bear to be separated from her father," Kaiko said. "He doted on her anytime the opportunity arose. He called her his 'little mermaid' when he thought we couldn't hear. Madeline adored her father, and has mimicked him from the beginning."

Fontaine breathed a sigh of relief. Maybe Hammerhead just liked to put on an impressive show for Madeline. Although…

"What about Finn?"

Kaiko was quiet for a long moment. She seemed to be pulling up memories. Unpleasant memories, based on her grimace.

"It was a few years before we realized Finn was Hammerhead's son. Will and I assumed he was the kid of a crewmate or even an orphan Hammerhead had picked up somewhere."

"What do you mean?"

"Hammerhead didn't call Finn 'son' or 'boy' for years. For a time, we didn't even know that Finn was his name. I'm actually not sure if 'Finn' even is his name."

Now it was Fontaine's turn to raise an eyebrow. "I don't get it. And what did Hammerhead even call Finn before?"

Kaiko scowled. "For Hammerhead's sake, I hope that Finn's birth certificate includes 'Rat' in his birth name."

Fontaine had to sit down. "Hammerhead called his own son '_Rat_'? Tell me you're joking."

"I wish I was." Kaiko shook her head. "It was either his birth name, or a reference to his constant scurrying around the ducts."

"I don't know which one is worse," Fontaine said.

Kaiko sighed. "We should have done something, but never had an opportunity. And by the time we realized who this 'Rat' really was, Finn had apparently adapted to his pirating lifestyle."

"And you really think the Dark Orca is the right place for Finn?" Fontaine asked. "Hammerhead is a _terrible_ father."

"General pirating aside, we don't know anything about Hammerhead," Kaiko said.

Fontaine looked away. She couldn't say anything in Finn's defense without giving away the Aronnax's stowaway.

"But you're right," Kaiko said, drawing Fontaine's gaze back. "If it makes you feel better, I'll see what I can do about getting Finn alone the next time we encounter Hammerhead. I'll ask him what he really wants."

_"To stay with us."_ Fontaine thought, saying aloud. "That would really help."

Kaiko smiled and smoothed Fontaine's hair, then slid under the Rover again.

Fontaine's mind raced. Kaiko was Finn's biggest skeptic, but Fontaine had managed to sway her mom with one conversation. What were the chances of Finn allowing Kaiko to talk to him?

Fontaine figured it wouldn't hurt to ask Finn. Once her family was done with the whale pod, she'd tell Finn her plan.

* * *

**A/N: Since _Song of the Sea_ was cancelled, I decided to incorporate some of my favorite elements into this story, like Finn knowing old languages and Finn's secondary name. (Though, in SotS, "Rat" was AU Ant's name.)**

**Also, I have a list of upcoming chapters on my profile for now.**


	20. Knew It Wouldn't Last

**A/N: I'm gonna interrupt the regularly scheduled chapters so Finn can have his say. ;P**

**Response to Random Fan: Finn thanks you for all the cookies. His hideout is overflowing now. XD I'm going to so enjoy Kaiko mothering Finn. 0w0**

* * *

The light was blinding even through Finn's closed eyelids.

"_Exsecratus lucerna_," Finn mumbled, wondering if he was dreaming.

Finn opened one eye a sliver to check the small, usually dim light-bar in the center of the room. Who'd turned on the lights? And replaced the light-bar with a mini sun?

Finn rolled sideways off his cot, catching himself with his hands but not raising himself. He squinted at the light switch beside the outline of where a door had once been, and saw it was still switched to off.

"Finn?" came Fontaine's voice, accompanied by clattering from the ducts.

"Wide awake!" Finn returned.

Fontaine's hands appeared over the edge of the vent. She pulled herself into view. She still wore her wetsuit -Finn was pretty sure the Nektons wore their wetsuits all the time- and her hair was a bedhead mess.

"Are you alright?"

"What's going on?" Finn asked, peering at her from under his shielding hands.

"I don't know. Check the bridge on your tablet; that's where I'm headed."

Fontaine ducked out of sight. Finn grinned and called after her.

"I knew this sub wasn't perfect!"

* * *

**A/N: Finn translation: cursed lights. XD**


	21. Shallow Breaths

**A/N: I had a ton of fun rewriting this part, even if it came out much longer than I planned. XD**

**Response to Random Fan: He did. XD**

* * *

The Aronnax was running out of oxygen too quickly. While her parents blamed the malfunctioning electronics, Fontaine knew the truth. Kaiko was calculating the air for four people, unaware of a fifth person in the ducts. Because of Finn, they were using air too quickly.

"_No_," Fontaine thought, shaking her head. "_It's not Finn's fault."_

"Fontaine?" Kaiko said. "How do you feel?"

"I'm fine," Fontaine said, smiling at her mom's image on the console. "Just focus on the servos."

It had been nearly an hour since Kaiko started working on the engines. At least the oxygen levels were still holding steady.

Until Ant tapped the console.

"Ant!" Fontaine and Will screamed as the oxygen levels abruptly dropped.

There was a click over the comms, then Kaiko said, "Trying the engines now."

Fontaine held her breath as the Aronnax shuddered, then hummed to life. Everyone cheered.

"Nice work, Kaiko," Will said.

"Way to go, Mum!" Fontaine said.

Fontaine shoved the joysticks forward. The Aronnax jolted, then moved forward. The tentacles across the main view port loosened.

"They're letting go!" Ant said.

The main port was completely clear in seconds. Fontaine let herself smile, then Kaiko was suddenly yelling.

"Back off the throttle! Back off!"

Fontaine jerked her hands away from the joysticks.

"The engine's overheating -thermostat's shot. We can only run them at minimum speed or they'll seize," Kaiko said in a rush.

At Kaiko's orders, Fontaine carefully nudged the Aronnax into motion with as little power as possible. She frowned when she felt the Aronnax's direction.

"We've stopped climbing," Ant said.

Worse, they were going down.

"At minimum power, the squid are going to drag us down," Fontaine said in frustration.

"Kaiko," Will said. "We have to get the engines back up."

"Working on it," Kaiko said, sounding frazzled. "We should be fine, as long as nothing else goes wrong."

"I really think we should ban sentences like that on this submarine," Ant warned. "Every time we-"

An alarm cut Ant off, followed by Kaiko saying, "We have a fire!"

"There it is," Ant said, closing his eyes and pointing at the speaker.

A chilled silence fell over the bridge. The past few hours had been a series of, "hope nothing worse happens" and it seemed like the absolute worst thing had just happened.

Fontaine looked away from her slumped brother. "That fire is going to eat up the last of our air!"

"Kaiko, I'm coming!" Will said, then darted to the door. He stopped abruptly and pointed at Fontaine and Ant. "Both of you, get to the Moon Pool room. If this gets any worse, I want you ready to abandon ship."

"How?" Fontaine asked. She turned the chair to fully face Will. "We can't go outside with those squid! We wouldn't last two seconds!"

"We'll find a way to draw them away," Will said.

"We" being Will and Kaiko. Fontaine and Ant traded fearful winces. Neither moved.

"Get to the Moon Pool, _now_!" Will ordered fiercely, then ran down the hall.

Fontaine groaned, but stood and followed Ant when he ran after Will.

While she ran behind Will, Fontaine remembered Finn. Had he been listening? She had to make sure he knew to get to the Moon Pool room! She didn't know what she'd tell her family, but she didn't have a choice anymore.

Fontaine slowed to turn down a hall to take her to the ducts closest to Finn, then realized that Ant had slowed as well. She turned as she passed Ant, both kids slowing until they stopped. Ant stared thoughtfully to the side.

"What is it?" Fontaine coughed. "We have to go, Ant."

Already, Fontaine could sense how thin the air was getting. Will's heavy breathing vanished around a corner, and Ant's rapid panting took its place.

"I left something on the bridge," Ant blurted, then turned and ran.

"Ant!"

Fontaine coughed harder as she struggled to make a choice. Go to the Moon Pool room? Retrieve Finn? Or go after her brother?

Fontaine groaned and ran into another hall. Ant would have to take care of himself. She was going to the Moon Pool room, after a short detour.

* * *

The air steadily grew worse as Fontaine crawled through the ducts. Surely Finn would have realized the Aronnax's plight by then and left, but something told Fontaine that Finn was still in the hideout.

Fontaine pushed aside the cloth covering the vent entrance and peered inside.

The hideout was a mess from the jostling of the whale and squid. The cot had slid to the opposite wall and the bedding was on the floor. Books and clothes were scattered everywhere. Somewhere, a bottle of water had spilled. Finn sat on the cot, eyes closed.

"Finn!" Fontaine tumbled into the hideout. "Finn, we have to go!"

Finn opened his eyes. Fontaine was given pause by his vacant stare. Luckily, Finn blinked and his eyes returned to normal.

"What's going on?" Finn asked in a quiet voice. He gestured to the darkened tablet at his side. "Cameras cut out an hour ago."

"Everything's gone wrong. The engines are dead, we have no power, and we're running out of air." Fontaine gulped air. "We need to get ready to abandon sub."

Finn stared at her for a long moment. Fontaine wondered how he wasn't panting like she was. He was breathing just…

Finn wasn't breathing right, either. His was more subtle, but no better than Fontaine's. Each breath was a little too fast, a little too shallow.

Fontaine grabbed his arm. "We're making a run for it."

"Don't you have back-up power?" Finn asked, again in that quiet tone.

"I don't know, we've never had an issue like this," Fontaine said. "Come on, we have to go. I've got to grab Ant from the bridge now, too."

"What about the generator that used to be here?"

Fontaine blinked as a thought came to her. "We keep it in the hold because it's too small to power the whole sub. Fiction keeps meaning to take it out, but forgets every time. Why?"

"Help your brother." Finn stood with a quickness that belied his poor breathing. "He must have a plan, right?"

"We don't have time!" Fontaine exclaimed, then coughed.

"I'll get you air," Finn said, grabbing Fontaine's shoulder.

"How?"

"Just trust me. Please."

Fontaine stared into Finn's eyes. "Fine. I didn't want to leave Mum and Dad, anyway. I'll help Ant. Don't get yourself hurt."

Finn just grinned at her, then hauled himself into the duct. Fontaine sighed, then followed.

Both teens crawled to the nearest opening and tumbled out. Fontaine straightened and tried to ignore her aching lungs.

"After we fix this, we should tell my parents," Fontaine said.

Finn blinked at her, then shook his head. "Not yet."

"But if you-"

Finn held up a hand. "We can talk later."

Fontaine stared at Finn, panting. His eyes were weird again. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," Finn said. "We don't have time. Just go help your brother."

Finn spun on his heel and ran. Despite his weird breathing and eyes, he didn't waver. While he ran, Finn flipped up his hood over his cap and pulled gloves from his pockets.

Fontaine shook her head, then turned toward the bridge.

* * *

Fontaine found Ant in Kaiko's chair, struggling with the controls. In panting half-sentences, Ant outlined a plan to get the whale they were tracking to scare the squid away.

It was an insane plan, but it was their only shot.

"Move over," Fontaine said, taking the controls.

It was very slow going. They seemed to be getting pulled down even faster now. Ant, hands braced on the main console, directed Fontaine.

"We're not… not going to make it!" Fontaine gasped.

"Just a bit closer!" Ant urged.

The next second, the screens went dark.

"No!" Ant wailed. "We just lost all our detection systems! Sonar. Tracking… We're blind!"

It was too late to turn back, so Fontaine just kept pushing the Aronnax. There wasn't any time for any other plans. There wasn't time to do anything but hope.

Will's voice came over the comms. "Ant! Fontaine! What's going on? Are you in the Moon Pool room?"

"We… we, ah…" Ant stammered.

Ant looked at Fontaine, confusion clouding his eyes. Fontaine could see him struggling for breath just as much as she was.

Fontaine scowled. "Ant has a plan!"

"Whatever you're trying, it hasn't worked." Fontaine could hear Will's breathlessness. "We're almost out of time. Please, kids, get to the Moon Pool room."

Fontaine closed her eyes and lowered her hands from the controls. "Wrong, Dad. We are out of time."

"Fontaine?" Ant asked.

Fontaine opened her eyes and pointed to a flashing gauge on the console. They had minutes at most.

Fontaine pushed herself to her feet, only for her legs to give out. She fell to her knees, but caught herself on the console before she could fall further.

"Fontaine!" Ant yelped.

"We're coming, Dad," Fontaine whispered.

"Kids?" Kaiko asked, voice uncertain.

A moment later, Will yelled, "Kaiko!"

At the same time, a long, low sound filled the bridge. Fontaine didn't think anything else could sound more beautiful to her just then.

"Whale song!" Ant called as he dropped into the chair. "They're leaving!"

Fontaine grinned weakly as the view port cleared. Her smile dropped a second later, though. Why were the squid heading _toward_ the whale song?

"Oh, no," Ant whimpered. "They're… they're gonna attack the whale!"

"No," Fontaine whispered.

Not only were they too late to save themselves, they'd brought an entire squad of giant squid to their whale friend! He was going to die… because of them.

"Wait." Ant sat up with obvious effort. "They're… coming back?"

Fontaine squinted, then murmured, "He brought his friends."

Fontaine slumped against the console. All she could do was grin as the whale pod swept gracefully past the Aronnax in their hunt, their singing revertabrating in the bridge.

The bridge door whooshed open. Fontaine turned and saw Will and Kaiko, both covered in smoke and Kaiko leaning on Will, stumble onto the bridge.

Will stared at the port. "What's going on?"

"We're being saved by the whales," Ant said with a loopy grin.

The Nektons watched the pod vanish from view. The force of their massive tails shook the Aronnax in the slightest, then they were gone.

For a moment, everyone was quiet. Fontaine stared at the gauge. Finn had said he'd get them air while she and Ant freed the Aronnax. She and Ant had succeeded, but where was Finn?

"What now?" Ant asked.

"Fire's out," Will said as he helped Kaiko to Fontaine's chair. "But the engine's still dead."

"Doesn't matter," Fontaine said, waving a hand at the gauge.

The gauge on the console had ceased flashing. It glowed a solid red, completely empty.

Fontaine felt a hand drop onto her shoulder. She turned to look into Kaiko's sad, proud smile. Kaiko slipped to the ground and grabbed Fontaine in a hug. Will leaned against the seat, one arm looped around Ant's shoulders. Will and Kaiko grabbed each other's free hand, joining the family in a slumped, haphazard group hug.

Fontaine closed her eyes and leaned into her mom's chest. She could feel Kaiko's racing heart and heaving breaths.

"I love you," Kaiko whispered.

"Love you, too," Fontaine struggled out.

"Best family ever," Ant murmured. Somehow, one of his hands found Fontaine's.

"I'm so proud." Will gasped. "Of all of you."

The following silence was broken by a distant hum. Something in the room hissed.

Fontaine didn't think much of the sounds until she took a breath. Fresh air replaced the stale, carbon dioxide-full air. Her senses returned in a rush, and she jolted upright.

"We have air!" Fontaine cried.

"How?" Kaiko murmured as she straightened.

"Let's not question it," Ant said. He'd already bounced back. "Let's just get to the surface before you-know-what happens!"

"You don't really think anything else could happen, do you?" Kaiko asked.

Ant groaned. "Mu-um!"

"Okay, okay, not another word." Kaiko stood, but didn't move toward her seat. "The engines are still dead, though. The fire caused the whole thing to overheat. It could be hours before it's safe to move."

"The squid are gone. What if we just took the Knights and Rover to the surface?" Will suggested.

"We might have to…" Kaiko's eyes drifted to the console. "Or…"

Kaiko nudged Fontaine away from the console, then knelt. She pulled her abandoned toolbox closer and peered under the console.

"Mum?" Fontaine asked.

"Maybe it's the thin air, but that little lightbulb started this whole mess." Kaiko pulled the faulty bulb from the toolbox. "Maybe it can fix this?"

The rest of the Nektons shrugged. The day had been absurd enough for Kaiko's plan to work. And even if it didn't, there would be time for everyone to safely abandon the sub.

Kaiko pulled a screwdriver from the toolbox, then Will stopped her by lifting a different tool.

"Here, use this," Will said.

Fontaine wondered if her parents had recovered from the lack of air. Why did Kaiko even have a can opener in her toolbox, anyway?

Kaiko, though, just smiled and took the offered tool. She opened a panel under the console, pried out the working bulb, and replaced the faulty bulb.

The Nektons waited. Unfortunately, the only thing to happen was that the humming of the air scrubbers stopped.

"And there we go," Ant groaned.

_Thunk!_

Fontaine jumped, then a familiar vibration filled the bridge. The lights returned to their normal brightness, and the darkened consoles lit up. Kaiko let out a sigh of relief as the chirps of rebooting Aronnax came from around the bridge.

"We have air!" Fontaine said as she felt the renewed stirring from the vents.

"Engines are online," Will reported.

"Fridge back on!" Ant happily said.

Kaiko sat in her chair and said, "Little blinky light, I will never be mad at you again."

Fontaine shook her head. Kaiko definitely needed time to recover.

"Let's get out of here." Kaiko pushed the joysticks forward, but nothing happened. "Er…"

* * *

**A/N: Oops, something else happened. ;P**

**This chapter was originally longer, but I thought this would be a funny place to end. XD**


	22. Wires Crossed

**A/N: Apologies to anyone who reviewed the last chapter. FF is being a pain and won't let me see them.**

* * *

"What now?" Ant groaned, slumping into Fontaine's chair.

Kaiko pulled up a few things on her console. Her eyebrows shot up.

"Mum?" Fontaine peered over Kaiko's shoulder. "What does that mean?"

"Whatever started up our air before I replaced the bulb has intercepted my controls," Kaiko said.

Ant leaned back. "Huh?"

"The air working wasn't a malfunction or luck, somebody rerouted power in the hold somehow."

"Who? None of us have gone to the hold," Will said.

"Could be a fluke," Kaiko admitted. "Some wiring got crossed when the whales hit us, and the controls were disconnected is all."

The consoles chirped. Kaiko's brows rose higher. She nudged the controls, and the Aronnax responded this time. Kaiko released the controls and stood.

"I need to check the hold," Kaiko said, standing.

"The hold is probably a mess now. I'll go with you," Will offered.

"I'm in!" Ant said.

"I'm curious, too," Fontaine said, wanting more to see their faces when they saw their savior than anything else.

* * *

Will had been right in his prediction. Many of the hold restraints were electric, and had thus come undone when the Aronnax lost power. Crates and their contents were scattered around the huge room.

While Will and Ant started gathering the supplies, Fontaine followed Kaiko to the back of the hold. They rounded a tall crate, then Kaiko stopped short. Fontaine grinned, then peeked past her mom. She frowned.

The old generator had slid against the wall, breaking a few wall panels. Wires, a few twisted and barely connected, were exposed. A length of extra wiring lay on the floor, only slightly out of place in the trashed hold.

No Finn. No real sign he'd done anything.

"That's weird," Fontaine said.

"Talk about luck," Kaiko said, misunderstanding Fontaine. "The generator must have hit the wall just right to jolt the wires for the air scrubbers against the outlet."

"Very lucky," Fontaine said quietly, resisting the urge to scream. "Mum, I'll be right back. I just have to go grab something."

"Alright," Kaiko said distractedly while she prodded the wires into place. "Just be careful. I haven't been able to run a full diagnostic."

"I'll be careful," Fontaine promised.

Fontaine ran from the room. She sighed in relief when no one asked where she was going or followed. She had to find Finn.

Fontaine highly doubted that the air had come back on by pure accident. Maybe if she didn't know about a certain former pirate, she could believe it. Stranger things had happened to her family.

But, no, it had to have been Finn. But why did he remove his work once Kaiko fixed the bulb/Aronnax issue? And why did he leave again? Even if her parents were the sort of people to reject offers of help, Finn revealing himself after saving their lives would be Finn's best chance.

Fontaine shook her head. "Boys."

Fontaine walked into her room and closed the door. She then hopped into the ducts and crawled the familiar path to the hideout.

"I know you're in there, Finn," Fontaine called out in warning. When she didn't get a response, she sighed and pushed the cover aside. "Really, Finn, why'd you run-"

Finn was in the hideout like Fontaine had guessed. But he was sprawled on the floor on his stomach, like he'd fallen while climbing down. He didn't move or react to Fontaine.

"-away?" Fontaine scrambled to the floor. "Finn? Finn, what's wrong?"

Fontaine shook Finn's shoulder. When this still didn't get a reaction, she shoved Finn onto his back.

Finn's eyes were closed. He was unconscious.

"Finn?!"

* * *

**A/N: I'm pretty sure that what's going on with Finn is a thing. Google is being incredibly unhelpful.**

**But, I'm proud to say that I have four extra chapters, so that means a chapter a day for at least four more days! **


	23. Wake Up

**A/N: The last chapter had the more comments than I've had for a while. Did I scare you?**

* * *

Fontaine grabbed Finn's wrist and felt his pulse. It was normal and, aside from a slight wheeze, so was his breathing. She checked for injuries, but couldn't see any. Finn looked fine, so why was he unconscious?

"Finn, come on, wake up!"

To Fontaine's relief, Finn groaned. His eyelids fluttered.

"That's it," Fontaine murmured, hands moving uselessly around. "Finn, can you hear me?"

Finn groaned again and shifted. Fontaine pulled the cot behind him and helped Finn lean against it.

"Does that feel better?" Fontaine asked.

Finn mumbled something under his breath. He grimaced and arched his back.

"Finn? Finn, what hurts?"

"Sore," Finn grunted. "S'kay. It'll pass."

"I'm getting Mum," Fontaine said, starting to stand.

"No!"

Finn's hand shot out and latched onto Fontaine's arm. Fontaine yelped at his tight grip.

"Sorry." Finn let his hand drop. "Can't tell anyone."

"Finn, something's wrong," Fontaine said, though she didn't move away. "Mum will know how to help you."

"Nothin's wrong." Finn huffed. "Just gotta catch my breath."

"Finn, the air's been fine for long enough that you shouldn't have been unconscious. And even if it was the air, you would have passed out back in the hold." Fontaine narrowed her eyes. "_Before_ you removed the evidence."

"It's fine," Finn insisted. "Happens."

Fontaine crouched. "How often?"

Finn shrugged. His eyes slid away while he mumbled, "Lose oxygen, breathe shallow, fix problem. S'kay."

"Finn?"

"Hold on 'til coast's clear." Finn blinked heavily. "Cap't clears it… sleep it off."

"Finn, what are you saying?"

"Air's…" Finn waved his hand in an uncertain manner. "Train for little… work with little. S'kay. I's the only one who fix."

Fontaine shook Finn's shoulder. "Finn, you aren't making any sense."

Finn's eyes focused on Fontaine's. "Nobody c'n know."

"You still don't want me to tell Mum and Dad?" Fontaine asked, exasperated.

Finn's head slowly shook back-and-forth. He slurred, "Means'well. Don' ends'well. Don' say, 'kay?"

"Fine, I won't say anything until you can clearly tell me why you don't want Mum and Dad to know, deal?" Fontaine leaned closer. "Deal?"

Finn grunted. "Deal."

"Good. Now help me get you into bed if you think you can just sleep it off."

Fontaine was mostly joking about the help; in Finn's state, she wasn't even sure he understood what she was saying. So she was surprised when Finn pushed himself slowly up.

"Careful."

Fontaine grabbed Finn's arms, taking some of his weight and guiding him onto the cot. Once Finn was settled, Fontaine tossed a blanket over him.

"Stay here," Fontaine said. "I'll check on you soon. Are you sure you'll be okay?"

Finn hummed and nodded. "S'kay. I'll ge' up fer _mea vigilia_…"

Fontaine waited for Finn to finish, then realized that his breathing had become deep and steady. He'd fallen asleep mid-sentence.

Fontaine rolled her eyes toward the ceiling. "What am I going to do with you?"

In the end, Fontaine just tucked the blanket under Finn so he wouldn't toss it off in his sleep. She hastily straightened the room, then set a half-full water bottle in easy reach of the cot.

When Fontaine ran out of things to do, she watched Finn for a moment, then slipped out. She'd have to check with Kaiko on how recovering from low oxygen would go -Fontaine would probably end up in the infirmary herself, but she could deal with that- then return to Finn as soon as possible.

* * *

**A/N: This is normally where I explain exactly what's going on with Finn, but not this time. -evil laugh- I'm leaving you in the dark with Fontaine. _Ciao_!**

**Finn translation: my turn.**


	24. First Glimpse

**A/N: On rare occasions, I'll use a different character's perspective.**

**Response to Random Fan: Yeah, I couldn't resist writing loopy Finn. He'll be okay, he's just got to get it all out.**

* * *

"Yep, fridge is still functioning," Ant said to Jeffrey. He gulped down the last of his milk, then rinsed his glass in the sink. "Making sure the fridge is working is very important, you know."

Jeffrey blew a bubble, then turned to the jar of cookies.

"Not this early," Ant said. He paused. "Well, maybe one."

Ant snagged a cookie, then started some coffee. Not for himself, obviously. After his first -and last- taste of coffee, the rest of his family had agreed that coffee-fueled Ant was a bad idea. No, on his way to the kitchen, Ant had seen Will in the study and thought he could use the coffee.

Ant wondered if anyone else was up. It had been a long night.

While he and Will had been cleaning the hold the previous night after the squid encounter, Fontaine had returned. She'd started asking about if it was normal to feel really tired even though the air was back to normal. Kaiko had immediately given everyone a quick check, then ordered everyone to bed.

Ant hadn't been able to sleep for long, even if it had been past midnight before everyone was in bed. He'd been too keyed up after discovering a colossal squid. And not just one, but a whole squad!

While Ant waited for the coffee, he wondered if the bridge was done running diagnostics so he could check their footage. Kaiko had said that a lot of cameras had gone down when the Aronnax lost power; hopefully they'd gotten enough evidence of the squid.

Once the coffee was done, Ant poured a mug-full. He put on the Jorange, then grabbed the mug and headed to the hall. In the doorway, he nearly ran into Will.

"Ant!" Will said, startled. "What are you doing up already?"

"Couldn't sleep. I need to check the footage from last night." Ant offered the mug. "Coffee?"

"Just what I was looking for," Will said, taking the mug with a smile. "Thanks."

"You're welcome!" Ant trailed after Will toward the study. "Were you reading the Chronicle of the Deep?"

"'Read' is a very generous term," Will said with a chuckle. "Painfully trying to figure out a single rune? That's more accurate."

"Why don't you call Nereus? He seemed to know what the Chronicle said."

"If I could, I would," Will assured him. "But Nereus is impossible to track down."

Ant sighed. "Well, where else do you get help translating a language nobody's seen for thousands of years?"

"It just takes time."

Ant groaned. "But I want to find Lemuria now!"

"Patience, Ant."

Will took a drink of his coffee. In the brief silence, Ant thought he heard a small noise from around the bend. It seemed to come from Will's study.

Ant sped up. "Mum, is that you?"

Ant didn't get a response. He rounded the corner in time to see red-and-white cloth vanish around another corner.

"Fontaine?" Ant said louder. He started to run. "Wait!"

"Ant?" Will called. "What is it?"

Ant ran into the next hall and saw a shape take yet another turn. He didn't recognize the clothing, and there still wasn't a response.

"Stop!" Ant yelled. "Who are you?"

Ant slid to stand at the new hall. It was a dead-end, but there was no sign of the stranger.

"Ant!" Will caught up to Ant. "What's going on?"

"I saw someone." Ant looked at Will. "There's someone on the Aronnax!"

* * *

**A/N: Oops, Finn's been spotted!**


	25. Intruder Alert

**A/N: I had the hardest time with this chapter. Don't ask. But thanks to Cass for helping me with my dumb question. XD**

**Response to Random Fan: Not a lot of stuffs, actually. Yet. XD Fontaine is just done with Finn right about now. Eh, he's half-and-half right now. **

* * *

"Lock down the Aronnax!"

Will's yelling voice in Fontaine's ear startled her awake. Half-asleep, she tried to jerk away from the noise.

_Wham!_

Unfortunately, since the noise had come from her wrist-comm, all Fontaine managed to do was slam herself into the wall.

"...ow."

Fontaine opened her eyes and blinked at the blinking red light on the ceiling. It took her a moment to remember where she was.

After being sent to bed, Fontaine had returned to check on Finn. Finding him sound asleep and breathing fine again, Fontaine had debated on whether or not she should leave him alone.

Fontaine had settled with hanging a sheet across the room for privacy, then putting together a nest of blankets from her room and the room's rugs. She was going to be stiff, but she had wanted to be close in case Finn needed her.

When the light continued to flash, Fontaine pushed the sheet aside, hoping the alert hadn't disturbed Finn.

The cot was empty.

Fontaine stared for a long moment, then scrambled to her feet. The alert suddenly made sense: Finn!

Had Finn decided to show himself after all? Then again, Fontaine didn't think Will would lock down the Aronnax if Finn revealed himself. Had Finn tried, then changed his mind? Was Finn even thinking clearly?

Fontaine realized she wouldn't get any answers just sitting in the hideout. She hopped into the ducts and headed for the bridge.

* * *

Fontaine reached the bridge right behind Will and Ant. Kaiko was in her seat and turned to face them, surprisingly unconcerned since there was an "intruder" on board. Finn was nowhere to be seen, though Fontaine wasn't sure yet whether or not that was bad.

"Mum, we saw somebody near Dad's study," Ant reported.

"We checked, and nothing is missing," Will added. "We must have scared them off before they could steal anything."

"Did you see who it was?" Fontaine asked.

"No, just their clothes," Ant said.

"Red-and-white jacket with a black hat?" Kaiko guessed.

Fontaine tried to not act too shocked. Luckily, Ant's confused exclamation claimed her parents' attention.

"How did you know?!"

Kaiko turned and pulled an image from her console to the main screen. Fontaine tried to not gasp.

It was Finn, running down a hall. He had his head ducked, and his hat and hood were so low that his face was completely hidden. From the dull red lights in the hall, Fontaine guessed it was footage from the previous day.

"I was looking through the cameras this morning," Kaiko explained. "The hold cameras were off-line, but I found this in the hall leading to the hold."

"Did you see him anywhere else?" Will asked, staring intently at the screen.

"Just the same hall, five minutes later."

Kaiko pulled up more footage and let it play. Fontaine watched Finn trot up the hall, still hiding his face.

"Ant and I will start checking the halls," Will said. "Fontaine, can you check the ducts?"

"Sure," Fontaine said.

Lucky for Finn, she was so familiar with the ducts that nobody else in the family needed to help her.

"Be careful," Will said while he backed toward the door. "We don't know who this is."

"I'll be fine," Fontaine said confidently. "He's on our territory." As she walked out, Fontaine silently added, "_And I know exactly where he's headed."_

* * *

"Okay, Finn, what's the big deal?" Fontaine poked her head into the hideout. "Finn?"

The hideout had still been a mess when Fontaine checked on Finn the previous night, and Fontaine hadn't bothered to clean up. Now, while Finn was absent, it was clear that he'd been there.

Three sets of clothes sat neatly folded beside the cot. The books had been moved into one pile. The rugs of Fontaine's make-shift bed had been scattered, and the bedding piled on the cot.

Fontaine looked behind her. Finn didn't usually wander the ducts alone. And after getting spotted, Fontaine was sure Finn would head right back to the hideout.

And why had Finn even left in the first place? Maybe he still wasn't feeling well. Had he just been wandering the halls or what? He'd been near the study. Was that important?

Fontaine groaned and dropped her head. "He was trying to see the Chronicle again."

The air ducts to Will's study was part of a smaller, separate section of the ducts. Finn would have had to cross the hall to reach the ducts to the study.

And if Finn had thought that he was about to be kicked off the Aronnax, he definitely would have taken the risk of crossing the hall to get one last look at the Chronicle.

"That solves that mystery," Fontaine said to herself. She dropped into the hideout. "But now where is Finn?"

Something was wrong with the hideout, but Fontaine couldn't figure out what at first. She looked around.

Her old tablet was still sitting on a stack of books. Three stacks of clothes were beside the books. The supply backpack sat in the corner, open and empty. Finn's jacket and cap both sat beside the pack.

Wait.

Finn always wore his jacket in the ducts because it got cold. And he'd been inseparable from his cap. Yet both sat in a neat little pile.

Fontaine scanned the hideout again. Everything was there.

Everything except Finn's scuba gear.

* * *

**A/N: Finn moves fast.**


	26. Where's Finn?

**A/N: Intentional no-dialogue for the sake of time.**

**Response to Random Fan: XD You'd think that he'd have learned by now.**

* * *

It took five minutes for Fontaine to remember that Finn couldn't have left the Aronnax.

Will had ordered the Aronnax to be locked down seconds after Finn was spotted. The Moon Pool was the most secure place during a lockdown, with even the vents being covered in thick bars. And any other ways to exit the Aronnax -hatches and solar ski tubes- were closed and locked.

So, Fontaine knew Finn hadn't reached the ocean. Where he thought he could go in the middle of the ocean, Fontaine didn't know. Why he thought he had to go was another mystery altogether.

Once Fontaine's initial panic calmed, she realized that she had plenty of time. Kaiko wouldn't undo the lockdown until the Aronnax was completely cleared. And that wouldn't happen until Fontaine made a methodical search of the entire duct system.

So, Fontaine's plan was simple: locate Finn, get his reasoning, then present her reasoning until Finn saw that her family would accept him!

Fontaine's plan… didn't really work out.

With Will and Ant checking the halls and rooms and Kaiko keeping an eye on the cameras, Fontaine knew Finn had to be in the ducts. Yet, several hours later and mid-way through her second sweep, there still hadn't been any sign of Finn.

By noon, Fontaine was frantic. She got Kaiko's help in combing the ducts, wondering if Finn just kept slipping past her.

Somehow, Finn still wasn't found. By evening, everyone reluctantly abandoned the search on by one.

Fontaine made one last sweep after Kaiko returned to the bridge. She ended the search at her and Finn's hideout, where she had to just stand and stare.

All of the clothes she'd found for Finn were still there. The cot almost felt out of place in the getaway room. Finn's tablet was empty of any trace of Finn, causing Fontaine to realize that Finn had never really drawn or made notes during his time on the Aronnax.

It was as if Finn had never even existed.

* * *

**A/N: No, Fontaine didn't tell anyone about Finn yet. Sort-of explanation in the next chapter! **

**Speaking of, sorry, but I'm breaking my writing streak. After flying through the last eight chapters in a matter of days, I've been on the next chapter for the last week and now getting ready for my _fourth _attempt.**


	27. Ghost Boy

**A/N: I... didn't realize this was going to be a serious chapter until I got to it. Four attempts later and I'm still cringing, but this is probably as good as it's going to get. Just hang on a bit longer, and things will get less serious.**

**Response to Random Fan: That was wholly intentional. XD Thanks, I did! Mostly!**

* * *

Fontaine didn't take two steps onto the bridge before Ant crashed into her. Fontaine stumbled back and fell on her butt. Ant caught himself on her shoulders.

"Ant!" Fontaine snapped.

"You'll never guess what!" Ant yelped, right in Fontaine's face.

Fontaine just shoved Ant away and stood. It was late and she still didn't know what had happened to Finn; she wasn't in the mood for Ant's nonsense.

"Ducts are clear," Fontaine said. She put her hand against Ant's head to hold her brother back. "I'm going to bed."

Will and Kaiko had only been paying half attention to the kids, but they both looked at Fontaine when she made her announcement. Fontaine saw Kaiko's face crease in worry. Luckily, Will spoke first.

"Still nothing?" Will said. "How can anyone stay hidden for so long?"

Ant finally abandoned his attempts to cling to Fontaine -maybe he hadn't recovered from lack of air- to dart to Will. He draped himself over the back of his dad's chair.

"I told you how!"

Fontaine couldn't help herself. "How?"

"It was a ghost!" Ant happily exclaimed.

Fontaine snorted. "A ghost?"

"Yeah!" Ant ran to Kaiko. "Show Fontaine the footage, Mum!"

"You recorded a ghost on the Aronnax?" Fontaine asked, amused despite herself.

"That's what Ant suggests," Kaiko said as she turned back to her console.

Kaiko pulled up the same footage from the hall outside the hold. Fontaine watched Finn trot up the hall, but nothing really said "ghost" to her.

"I don't get it," Fontaine said.

"He didn't make a single sound!" Ant exclaimed. "And then he vanished into thin air!"

"You think the Aronnax is haunted?" Fontaine really wasn't in the mood. "Su-ure."

Fontaine looked at Kaiko, expecting her mom to be watching Ant in amusement. But, Kaiko's eyes were on Fontaine. Kaiko grinned a bit sheepishly.

"Mum, don't tell me you believe Ant?" Fontaine asked incredulously. "Dad?"

"We've seen stranger things," Will said.

"Not you, too, Dad!" Fontaine groaned. "Is everyone getting enough air?"

"Hey, Jeffrey agrees, too!" Ant said, pointing to the fishtank on the console.

"You think a ghost is haunting the Aronnax? Where do you even pick up a ghost? And why would a ghost mess with our wiring?"

"Because he thinks one ghost on the sub is enough?" Ant suggested.

"Ant, as your sister, I feel obligated to point out that a ghost would probably want company."

"So you admit there's a ghost!"

Fontaine snorted. "Sure, whatever you say." She turned away. "See you in the morning."

"Fontaine, are you-" Kaiko started.

"I'm fine!" Fontaine interrupted. "I'm just tired. Night!"

Fontaine rushed from the bridge before anyone could stop her, not willing to admit that she was not fine. Her stomach hurt and her chest felt tight.

She didn't know why she didn't just confess about Finn then and there. Kaiko would probably have an idea on how to find Finn; surely Fontaine was just missing something obvious?

Well… Fontaine had to admit that she did kind of know. She'd told Finn she'd keep his presence a secret until he was able to explain himself. Him vanishing probably broke the agreement, but telling Finn's secret without his permission felt wrong.

But _not_ saying anything felt wrong, too. Finn pretty obviously wasn't okay. After the low-oxygen ordeal, Finn probably needed to be checked. Especially since he passed out, while nobody else had.

Fontaine groaned in indecision as she opened the door to her room. Whatever the right choice was didn't really matter anymore. Finn was gone.

"_He's probably not even on the sub,"_ Fontaine thought, closing the door behind her. "_Pirate boy probably knows a hundred ways to-"_

In the corner of the room, something shifted.

Fontaine was so on edge, her first reaction was to kick the closest object toward the movement. She punted her skateboard across the room, where it slammed against the wall a good three feet from a slumped-over Finn.

"Finn?!" Fontaine snapped. "You scared me! What are you doing?! Where have you… have you been here this whole time?" Fontaine shook her head, grinning. "Brilliant, actually. Dad and Ant stay out of my room, and I completely forgot to check. But how did you know… Finn?"

Finn sat against the corner of the wall with his face pressed against his drawn-up knees. His arms were hidden behind his knees. His helmet sat beside him. Besides his mussed hair, Fontaine could only see the grey of his wetsuit.

"Finn?" Fontaine tried again. "Finn, are you okay?"

Finn's head rocked back-and-forth slightly. Though his answer had been in the negative, Fontaine was just glad for a response.

"Are you hurt?"

Another tiny shake.

"Then what's wrong?"

Silence.

Fontaine crept closer. "Finn, what's wrong?"

A small, raspy voice came from behind Finn's knees. "I just wanted to say bye."

"Bye?"

"Yeah." Finn unfolded himself slowly. He wouldn't meet Fontaine's eyes. "I didn't want to leave without saying anything."

"Okay..." Fontaine sat down. "Why are you leaving?"

Finn shrugged. "Ant saw me."

"And he's convinced Mum and Dad that you're a ghost," Fontaine assured him.

"Then they won't notice when I leave."

"Maybe. Maybe not. I doubt Mum really thinks there's a ghost aboard."

"...how do I get outside without being seen?"

"Finn, you don't have to. I was talking to Mum-"

Finn looked quickly at her and cut in, "You didn't tell her, did you?"

"No, but why-"

"Because she can't know. She'd send me back."

"I don't think so, Finn."

"I _know_ so!"

"How can you know?"

"It's happened before!" Finn dropped his face behind his knees again. "I've been sent back before…"

Happened before? Then, this wasn't the first time Finn had left the pirates? He'd left before, and been sent back. Probably more than once, if he was this adamant about nobody knowing.

"Finn," Fontaine said carefully. "What if-"

"I have to go," Finn interrupted again. "I just didn't want you to wonder."

Finn shot to his feet and made for the door. Luckily, Fontaine was able to react just as fast. Springing to her feet, Fontaine snatched Finn's wrist and pulled.

Finn flinched, head darting toward Fontaine.

Fontaine jerked her hand away. Finn didn't move away, but he was stiff as a board. He didn't even lower his hand. He angled his head away, but Fontaine had already seen his expression.

"Sorry," Fontaine said. "I just didn't want you to go. If you don't want me to, I won't say a thing to Mum and Dad. Just don't take off when we're in the middle of the ocean!"

Finn's posture slowly loosened. When he turned to Fontaine, his eyes were open and relieved.

Fontaine didn't know what to think of his reaction. So, she didn't. She pushed aside her thoughts and focused on the present issue.

"Deal?" Fontaine said. "Just stick around until we come up with something better than you taking off in the middle of the ocean."

"Deal," Finn said softly. "Thanks."

"What are friends for?"

Again, Finn looked at her in shock at being called a friend, as if she hadn't been serious.

But Fontaine had never been more serious in her life. She abandoned her plans to convince Finn to let her family know about him. That decision would be fully up to Finn.

Because Fontaine never wanted to see such terror in Finn's eyes again.

* * *

**A/N: Emotional abuse is a new realm for my writing. I tried. And I won't be ignoring it in later chapters, Finn's relaxed around Fontaine and he's just good at hiding it. **

**Oh, and Finn's got a theme song: Scars by TobyMac. I recommend checking it out!**


	28. Faking Smiles

**A/N: Got another mini-posting streak ready again! Not sure how long this one will go, because I probably should get some done in my neglected stories. And as part of the "essential" workforce, my writing time has remained the same. Be careful and stay safe, everyone! ;)**

**Response to Random Fan: We all want the same thing: to keep Finn happy. Won't be easy! Yeah, it's tricky to write, so I don't do it often but I think it would work with what we see in canon. Finn can never have too many hugs or cookies! He deserves every one!**

* * *

Finn's smile was fake. It was wide and constant, but blank and never reached his eyes. It had been there for so long, it was automatic and fake.

Staring at it the morning after her search for Finn, Fontaine wondered how she had never noticed.

Fontaine wanted Finn to smile for real, but didn't know how. It didn't help that Finn was stuck in the tiny hideout while her family continued to search for the "ghost."

Finn stared listlessly into space. He was still so on edge, and constantly toyed with his hat in his lap.

Fontaine wondered if he would do better if he could just get outside for a bit. Feel the sun and water, maybe. That always did wonders when her family had been cooped up for too long.

Fontaine looked at the lightbar, then the inflatable palm tree. It was _sort _of beachy. That had been Fontaine's purpose when she decorated. Too bad she didn't have a little pool with water. Put some fish in there. Ant had a fish, why couldn't she?

Fontaine blinked at a thought. "Stay here."

"Where else am I going to go?" Finn joked flatly.

"I don't know what ghosts do in their spare time," Fontaine teased.

Finn looked at her, startled and amused. Fontaine considered his expression a small success, then climbed through the vent.

* * *

"Here," Fontaine said fifteen minutes later, shoving the purpose of her hunt into Finn's hands.

"What're you…" Finn trailed off as he stared through the glass. "Um."

Finn and Jeffrey stared at each other with equal confusion. Jeffrey, over-expressive as always, turned and seemed to glare at Fontaine.

"Is this Ant's fish?" Finn asked.

"Yeah, his name's Jeffrey. Ant's busy looking for the ghost."

"And he's not going to…" Finn snorted. "What's he doing?"

Jeffrey had turned his tiny glare to Finn. He blew a bubble in a way that Ant might have described as "angry."

"Jeffrey's just mad that he's not with Ant," Fontaine said, settling down across from Finn.

"Ant's going to notice his fish missing," Finn said, even while he settled the bowl in his lap.

"Well, he already thinks the Aronnax is haunted," Fontaine said.

"And he's going to blame the 'ghost'?"

"Probably."

"But why would a ghost steal his fish?"

Fontaine shrugged. "Ghosts are _strange _and _mysterious."_

Whether it was at Fontaine's statement, her taking Ant's fish, or Jeffrey's huffy little tantrum-circle, Finn smiled.

And this time, it was real.

* * *

**A/N: This chapter felt weird. Did it feel weird to you? Anyway, the next chapter is one of my favorites so far! See ya tomorrow!**


	29. An Incredibly Helpful Ghost

**A/N: Kaiko's turn! 0w0 And I'm making things up about the Aronnax, but they make sense. ;P**

* * *

"...and after we repair the thermostat -wow, that's going to take the rest of the day- there's a dozen alerts for loose paneling along the top of the Aronnax. _How_ did that even happen?"

"Colossal squid," Kaiko said tiredly.

Professor Fiction cocked his head, studying the massive sucker marks on the side of the Aronnax. "How big?"

"We sent you video," Kaiko said, confused.

"All I got was static and screaming," Professor Fiction cheerfully informed her. "Maybe something's wrong with the transmitter. Just another thing to fix! Come on, Kaiko, we're wasting daylight!"

As Kaiko trailed after the professor, she made a mental promise to never, _ever_ touch a light bulb again.

* * *

True to Professor Fiction's prediction, repairing the thermostat in the engine room ended up taking most of the day. Kaiko and Fiction were both greasy, hot, and ready for a break.

Kaiko checked in on her family. Will had been busy in the Professor's library all day. Lestor was keeping an eye on Ant and Griffin's tinkering in the workshop. Kaiko learned that Fontaine had spent most of the day in a corner of the workshop, leaving when she saw Professor Fiction and apparently had a question for him.

Since everyone was still busy with their distractions, Kaiko decided to work on the Aronnax a bit longer. The loose paneling was her biggest concern. If water got in the wrong places, it could be disastrous.

Plus, she just didn't like the thought of the Aronnax being damaged for any longer than necessary.

After telling Will where she was headed, Kaiko retrieved her tool belt and headed inside.

The secret to the Aronnax's impenetrable hull as a narrow space between the hull itself and the ducts. The hull was entirely secured from the inside of the Aronnax, meaning outside forces rarely affected the panels and many repairs could be completed from the inside.

The crawl space had three access points: one under the lip at the bridge's main view port, one in the hold, and one near the Aronnax's tail, where there used to be a back-up generator, engine access, and such.

Because the crawl space was the Aronnax's one vulnerability to invaders, it was the only area with any serious security measures in place at all times. Only herself, Will, and Professor Fiction had the electronic access code in their comms.

Kaiko checked her tablet and headed to the hold, where the access would be closest to the breaches Professor Fiction had discovered.

Kaiko opened the air-tight hatch. She grimaced when she saw the damp walls; water had gotten inside after all.

While she expertly scaled the slick, narrow ladder leading to her destination, Kaiko mentally noted what areas were wet and how much water had collected. Luckily, she couldn't hear dripping and almost no water had collected as far as she could tell.

Kaiko reached the breach. She paused to pull her harness -little more than a belt with a short lead and a clip on the end, more for stability than safety- from her tool belt and secure herself. She then turned and sought out the loose screws.

Kaiko looked. And looked. For fifteen minutes, she checked and poked at screws, but everything was tight. She double-checked her tablet, then the panels. She could see where water had leaked through, but it was already drying.

Kaiko lifted her comm. "Professor Fiction, could you check the hull integrity again?"

"Right away!" A brief pause followed, then Fiction said, "Good job, Kaiko! Everything is nice and tight now!"

"I didn't do anything," Kaiko said. "Were the earlier scans mistaken?"

"I doubt it. Nothing else has changed since then. Maybe someone else beat you to it?"

"Everyone else was inside the lab," Kaiko said.

"It was the ghost!" chimed in Ant, who was apparently listening.

"Ghost?" Griffin repeated.

"Yeah! Someone fixed our air during the squid attack, but we never found any sign of him. I'm pretty sure it's a ghost."

"There's not a ghost on the Aronnax, Ant," Fontaine said.

"Then where'd he go?"

Fontaine didn't respond. She'd probably only added her piece out of older-sister obligation.

Kaiko scanned the crawl space. Nobody but her in sight. How could someone else have even gotten through the locked doors? The hatches had been secure the previous day; Kaiko had checked them.

Kaiko ran her hand across the repaired surface. Well, whoever was the Aronnax's mysterious guest, they obviously didn't mean any harm to the Aronnax or Nektons.

Switching off her comms, Kaiko called, "Hello?"

Her voice echoed slightly, but there wasn't any response.

Kaiko shook her head. She wasn't one to believe in ghosts. Everything had a simple, logical explanation.

She just didn't have one for this particular situation. Her family _had_ encountered plenty of odd things… maybe it was about time they added "ghost" to the list.

Kaiko chuckled to herself, unable to believe that she was thinking that way. How had she accepted Ant's theory so quickly?

"Well… whatever you are," Kaiko said to the silence. "Thank you for your help."

* * *

**A/N: The development between Kaiko and the "ghost" is one of my favorite ongoing things for this story. XD**


	30. Upgrades

**A/N: Hm, nothing to say here except it's time for a couple boring chapters to establish a few things.**

**Response to Random Fan: XD It's going to be a fun trip.**

* * *

"The Aronnax is officially haunted."

Finn startled at Fontaine's voice. He looked quickly up to where she was leaning out of the vent, but she just looked amused.

"So…" Fontaine rolled to the floor in a crouch. "How'd you open the hatch?"

"It's really not that hard," Finn said, waving a hand. "You should have better security measures."

"The locks are really more of a discouragement than anything," Fontaine admitted. "But, how did you do it?"

"I pried a panel off the wall and did a little rewiring. I put everything back into place when I was done, but the dripping was annoying."

Fontaine gave him an impressed look. "You really know your stuff."

Finn ducked his head. "It's not that hard." Why was Fontaine so easy to impress?

"Sure it's not," Fontaine said. Finn could practically hear her eye roll. "Anyway, here."

Finn lifted his head. Fontaine was holding out her tablet, which she'd taken with her when the Aronnax stopped at their base.

Now, the girly case had been replaced with a sturdy blue one with the Nekton crest. It activated automatically when Finn took it, revealing an empty screen.

"I updated my old tablet, so it's connected with the newer cameras and all the Knights. Audio now, too."

"Cool."

"I connected it to the Aronnax already." Fontaine swiped the screen to show a trio of folders. "Mum's put as many books as she can on all of our tablets, too, so you won't get bored and there's a notebook. I'll show you how to download games, too."

"I'm not sure that's really necessary… won't that make it hard to find your stuff?"

"That's why I have my newer tablet" Fontaine tapped the tablet. "I already wiped the memory. This one's yours now, Finn."

Finn blinked at her. "What?"

"Can't have our ghost getting bored." Fontaine grinned. "Now you can keep track of what everyone's doing. I'll get you a communicator, too, once I figure out an excuse for a second comm…"

Finn couldn't help staring. He knew by now that Fontaine was serious about him staying, but she was sure going through a lot of trouble for him.

"Oh, and I should probably tell you that Ant's named you."

Confused by the topic change, Finn only managed, "Huh?"

"Ant said that the Aronnax 'ghost' needed a name. He's calling you 'Cooper' now."

"Cooper," Finn repeated flatly.

"Don't ask me. I don't pretend to understand Ant."

"But… _Cooper_?"

Fontaine shook her head. "I don't get it, either."

"Out of all the names he could have picked, why Cooper?"

"What's wrong with Cooper?"

"Aren't ghosts typically given terrifying names? Something to scare people off?"

Fontaine snickered. "Finn, you've done nothing but help us. Everyone's pretty convinced that you're a good ghost. Even _Mum_ thinks we've picked up a ghost, and I didn't think she'd ever believe in ghosts."

And that was… good, right? If there wasn't anyone searching for an intruder, then Finn would be safe to stay. Right?

Finn looked at Fontaine's pleased, amused face. She'd been nothing but helpful and kind, even knowing from where he'd come. He could trust her.

* * *

**A/N: In case you're wondering, "Cooper" came from the ghost dog in the Arlos Finch book series. XD**


	31. Discovering Daniels

**Response to Random Fan: Yeah, I was cracking up over "Cooper" too much to give it up. XD**

* * *

The Aronnax was at Professor Fiction's lab for three days for repairs. Finn had to stay in the hideout during that time, but he didn't mind too much. He'd been cooped up before. Besides, Fontaine stopped by whenever she could sneak off to check on him, and Finn kept himself busy with his new tablet.

It was still a relief when the Aronnax started up and moved into the open ocean. Maybe it was because he'd been on the move almost non-stop for the last six years, but Finn preferred the subtle vibrations of a sub in motion over stillness.

It didn't hurt that the Aronnax being on the move meant Fontaine was able to slip away more often and for longer.

The two teens spent hours poring over books from Will's study, both teaching the other about the ocean and its creatures. Fontaine tracked down board games as well, since both agreed they'd have to stay out of the ducts for a bit longer.

Fontaine did her best to get pictures of Lemurian runes, but Will rarely took out the Chronicle and she didn't want to cause questions by asking to see the Chronicle. Finn almost hid in the study ducts again, but ignored the temptation.

It was during this time that Finn discovered Devil Daniels.

* * *

"How can you even watch that fake?" Fontaine asked in mock pain a week after the squid incident.

"He's hilarious!" Finn snickered and tilted his tablet. "In an entire episode of 'fending of blood-thirsty sharks' I haven't seen a single shark. Just a bunch of dolphins."

"So, you're watching for the dolphins." One thing Fontaine had learned about Finn, he _loved_ dolphins.

"There's a lot of them," Finn said, ignoring the teasing. "Does he really think that people won't notice?"

Fontaine winced. "Unfortunately, a lot of people don't. They see a fin in the water and panic."

"Too bad. Dolphins are good company." Finn tapped the screen. "Hey, Devil Daniels is live-streaming a new episode."

"Where's he at? I'd rather avoid him," Fontaine said, not paying too much attention while Devil Daniels rambled on about "hunters" and "hunted."

"Not sure. He usually keeps his location a secret."

"Probably so nobody can check his 'facts,'" Fontaine said.

"Yeah." Finn hummed. "He knows Ant?"

"Ant?" Fontaine raised an eyebrow. "Not that I know of."

"Hold on, he's got a link in the description. I guess Ant gave him a tip?"

Fontaine groaned. "Don't tell me my little brother is obsessed with Daniels, too!"

"There's no esca-_ah_!"

Fontaine jumped when Finn's word turned into a yell. His hands jerked, half-throwing the tablet to the floor.

Fontaine started to rise. "Finn?"

"What was that?!" Finn scrambled to pick his tablet back up. He waved a hand at Fontaine. "Come here, come here. Look at this!"

Fontaine set aside her laptop and leaned to watch over his shoulder. He was watching some sort of ocean camera. The water was clear and calm with a few fish swimming around.

"I'm watching, what are you-"

Something huge swam into view.

Fontaine yelped and jerked back. "What is that?!"

"That's what I want to know!" Finn rewound the recording and watched it again. "It's massive, though!"

"Where's the camera recording?" Fontaine asked. "Wait. You said this was a link in Devil Daniels' latest video?"

"Yeah." Finn checked the screen. "And it's Ant's alright. Devil Daniels must have found it."

"And this is what he's going to hunt?" Fontaine scowled, snatching her laptop as she stood. "Mum and Dad are not going to be happy. I've got to tell them, so they can stop Daniels!"

"I'll keep an eye on things in here," Finn said. "Be careful.""

Fontaine nodded, then hopped into the ducts.


	32. Ant's Okay (But Finn Isn't)

**A/N: Oddly enough, the actual chapter was actually harder to write than the fake chapter.**

**Response to Random Fan for fake chapter: My goal exactly. XD I couldn't help myself!**

* * *

Fontaine couldn't leave during a mission, but Finn watched everything from the bridge cameras. Unsurprisingly, Kaiko turned the sub toward the creature's location as soon as she knew which way to go.

Finn watched the mission preparations in interest. Kaiko, constantly scanning routes and tweaking the Aronnax's path, didn't leave the pilot's chair the entire trip. Fontaine and Ant alternated between researching what they could see of the creature and keeping updated on Devil Daniels' videos. Will stared at his console the entire time, though Finn didn't have a good enough angle to see what Will was doing.

Finn found his eyes flicking frequently toward Will during the trip. Will hadn't been impressed with Ant for -however accidental- revealing the mystery creature to the world, an act comparable to Finn telling the world about Hammerhead's latest treasure hunt.

Luckily, the creature's last known location was reached without incident, and the search was on. Fontaine and Ant took the Rover to search, Will used a drone, and Kaiko watched their sonar.

Finn watched the Rover cameras, wanting to see the strange creature as much as the Nektons. Was it really as dangerous as Devil Daniels had made it to be? Finn knew the "monster hunter" was pretty fake, but what if he was right this time?

Unfortunately, even after three hours, the hunt turned up nothing. Will returned the drone and called his kids back.

Finn watched the Rover surface in the Moon Pool and Fontaine report to Will that they hadn't seen a thing. Finn was about to check on Kaiko, when Ant cautiously approached Will.

Finn couldn't help tensing. Will hadn't spoken with Ant since discovering what he'd done. Surely Ant knew to let Will make the first move.

"Dad?" Ant said hesitantly. "It's been three hours. Are you still mad at me?"

...yeah, Ant had no survival instincts whatsoever.

When Will just looked at him, Ant went on, "When I say mad, I'm assuming more… disappointed?"

"Mad is accurate," Will said, voice way too bland.

Finn leaned forward. "Ant, you can't be that oblivious. Leave him alone!"

Instead, Ant just rubbed the back of his neck and looked at his feet. "Okay."

"Every day, more unusual and prehistoric creatures are appearing in our oceans," Will said.

Ant looked up, unconcerned and curious. "Why is that?"

"I don't know." Will's voice hardened. "But we can't afford to have them exposed to the world until people are ready!"

Ant sighed. "I'm really sorry, dad."

Will's hand moved toward Ant.

"Ant!" Finn yelped.

Finn dropped the tablet. He _knew_ what was coming, all fathers were the same, he'd just liked to think that the Nektons were different, but it didn't mean he had to _listen_!

"I know," came Will's voice.

Hands inches from his ears, Finn froze. His eyes darted back to his fallen tablet. Will was on his knees, an understanding smile on his face. Ant grinned sheepishly and leaned into Will's shoulder.

What? Was Will waiting for some reason? Had he changed his mind? Had it been long enough that he had he decided Ant wasn't in the wrong? Where was the lecture? Or the scolding? Or the yelling?

Unless… it was just the Dark Orca? Finn had known something was wrong back there, but it had been _years_ and surely Hammerhead knew-

A hand on his shoulder made Finn jump and spin.

It was just Fontaine. Her hand was still out and her eyes were wide.

"Finn?" Fontaine asked, voice cautious and low.

"He didn't…." Finn's voice shook.

Fontaine looked at the tablet, then back at Finn. Then she moved.

Before Finn could react, Fontaine had hugged him. He flinched and felt Fontaine's arms loosen, but didn't pull away. He leaned into the unfamiliar embrace, suddenly tired.

"It's okay, Finn," Fontaine soothed. "What happened?"

"He didn't…" Finn ducked his head down on Fontaine's shoulder. "...nothing."

Ant was fine, but Finn couldn't stop shaking.

* * *

**A/N: I promise Finn's going to be happy in the following chapters! This was just an important step in him understanding the Nektons.**


	33. Finn Makes a Friend

**A/N: Not to be dramatic, but this is the point of no return! I start foreshadowing in this chapter for things way out in season two! Phew! This is either a really good idea, or a really bad one. ;P**

**That being said, the seahorse episode was hard to rework with Finn included because he's not doing much, so I skim the episode content, then move onto the important stuff.**

* * *

Half an hour later, Fontaine stared out the bridge's main view port. Will and Ant, having reconciled, huddled over Ant's tablet. Kaiko continued to study the brief flashes of video of the strange creature.

Fontaine never did figure out what had upset Finn. After letting himself be hugged and just _shaking_ for maybe five minutes, Finn had dropped into his old, fake-smile habits. He had clearly wanted to be alone -probably embarrassed- so Fontaine had hesitantly left him.

She wondered what could have spooked Finn so badly. Since the incident with the squid, Fontaine had realized that she wasn't just searching for a way to get Finn accepted on the Aronnax. She also needed to ensure that Finn felt safe, which wouldn't be easy if Finn wouldn't tell her what was upsetting to him.

"Fontaine?"

Fontaine startled back to the present. She wondered how long Kaiko had been staring at her.

"Yeah, Mum?" Fontaine said.

"Did you hear what Ant said?"

"Uh…" Fontaine turned to see her brother looking very pleased with himself. "No."

"As I said before, we're going to prove to the world that this creature needs to be protected the same way Devil Daniels is!"

Fontaine wondered if she was missing something. "So you want to record us hunting the creature with cheesy music and weird edits?"

"No," Ant said, rolling his eyes. "We'll just make a video explaining that the creature is innocent and needs to be protected!"

"That's… a good idea, actually," Fontaine said. She wished she'd thought of it...

"I know it is," Ant said proudly. "Let me just grab a camera, and we'll be ready!"

* * *

Ant's plan was great in theory. In reality…

Okay, so it wasn't like anyone could plan the creature -which suddenly looked so much bigger- swimming right past the Aronnax. Or it nudging the Aronnax around, while all the Nektons panicked. On live camera.

The camera being left running during the whole fiasco could have been helped, but Fontaine had been kind of distracted.

But it all turned out alright. Devil Daniels was so much of a show-off, he was easy to track down. The Aronnax had arrived just in time to save the creature from Daniels' net.

The second accidental recording ended much better, even if everyone had thought that the giant sea-horse was going to hurt Daniels. And since Daniels wrapped up his episode with admitting that the creature needed to be protected, Fontaine considered the day a win.

Almost. There was just one more thing to do, and the day would be perfect.

* * *

Fontaine waited until midnight before making her move. She grabbed her backpack, which was sitting ready by her door, then hopped into the ducts.

Fontaine's first destination was the store room of clothing. She searched until she found what she needed, which she shoved into her pack, then returned to the ducts.

Fontaine adjusted her communicator settings. She had set up a separate line to connect her comm to Finn's tablet a few days before, so she could easily contact Finn.

"Finn," Fontaine said. "Finn, wake up."

There was a brief pause, then Finn's sleepy voice. _"Quid?"_

Fontaine blinked. "Say again?"

"Fontaine? What's wrong?"

"Nothing, but what was that?"

"What was what?"

"You said something strange. Squid?"

"Oh, er... that might have been _quid. _It's Latin."

"You speak Latin _in your sleep_?" Well, that explained Finn's occasional odd phrase.

"Sometimes, yes, but why did you wake me up?"

Fontaine shook off her amusement. "There's something I want to show you. Get up."

"What is it?"

"Just wait."

Fontaine reached the hideout shortly after and dropped inside. She grabbed a bundle from her backpack and tossed it to Finn.

"Suit up."

Finn shook out the bundle. It was a black fullsuit, just Finn's size. The legs, long sleeves, and hood were edged with red.

"You need to get out for a bit," Fontaine said. "We're going for a swim."

"Where did you find this?

"I told you that we keep spare clothes around. Spare wetsuits, too. Now hurry up, don't you want to swim?"

"But, how?" Finn asked.

"We can take the ducts to the solar ski tubes. Then, I can open the tubes with my tablet long enough for us to slip out."

"Wow. You sneak out at night very often?" Finn teased.

"Only when I have a swimming companion."

"How many stowaways have you hidden?"

"Who said my swimming companions were human?" Fontaine grinned. "Now come on."

Finn looked bemused, but didn't question her. Fontaine was just glad that he'd recovered from whatever had upset him earlier. She hopped into the ducts so Finn could change into the fullsuit, then they were on their way.

Fontaine led the way through the ducts, eventually reaching where they opened up to a small room. Each of the solar ski tubes had the small room for maintenance purposes and the only cameras were outside the rooms, making the solar skis the perfect place to sneak outside the Aronnax.

Fontaine pulled her tablet and two rebreathers from her backpack. Unfortunately, she and Finn wouldn't be able to talk since Fontaine only had the tube rebreathers handy, but they would work.

"Get ready," Fontaine said, handing Finn a rebreather. "I'm going to have the solar ski tubes run a test. This door will open for just a few seconds. We need to get inside, then the water lock will open. We have twenty seconds to swim past the locks."

Finn nodded. He pulled up the hood of the fullsuit. His hair still poked out and Fontaine hadn't been able to find him diving shoes, but it would work. And with how wide Finn was grinning, Fontaine didn't think he minded.

"Okay…" Fontaine tapped the screen. "Go!"

A panel on the tube slid open. The teens jumped inside and put in their rebreathers. The panel slid shut, then there was a warning chirp. Fontaine and Finn braced themselves, but were still knocked off their feet when the water locks opened, flooding the tube with water.

It took a moment to get oriented in the water-filled tube, then Fontaine found the opening. She checked on Finn, finding him floating beside her. He flashed her a thumbs-up, then they both swam past the water lock and into the ocean.

The Aronnax sat still in the water, just below the surface. Lights along the sub's sides lit the ocean in a gentle glow.

Fontaine set her tablet on a ledge beside the tube so she wouldn't lose it, then waved at Finn to follow her. She led the way to a corner of the Aronnax, where none of the external cameras could pick them up, then gestured for Finn to do as he wished.

Finn floated for a moment. Once he realized what Fontaine meant, his face positively lit up. In a second, he flipped and shot deeper.

Fontaine grinned and dove to follow him.

* * *

Finn was an amazing swimmer. Of course, he'd been raised on a sub like Fontaine, but she had never seen him swim so fast and freely, so his ability was a bit of a shock.

People always said the Nektons were uncanny in the water. They were faster, more agile, and supposedly had greater lung capacity than most. Fontaine assumed that if this was actually true, it was just because the Nektons had been raised in the ocean.

And it seemed that Finn was proof. He could nearly match Fontaine's speed, and had some lightning-fast maneuver to turn faster than Fontaine had ever seen.

After half an hour, Fontaine spotted a large shadow approaching. She waved to Finn, then pointed to the surface.

Finn grinned and raced past. Fontaine snorted, then darted after him. Both teens reached the surface and shot into the air at the same time.

For a moment, the teens were suspended mid-air. Droplets twinkled like a hundred moons between them. Moonlight reflected in Finn's eyes, making them brighter than Fontaine thought possible.

Then they splashed back into the ocean and everything vanished in a blur of bubbles.

Fontaine kicked back to the surface. She shook her wet hair out of her face and removed her rebreather so she could release the laughter she'd been holding.

She hadn't had that much fun swimming in a _long_ time. And when Finn surfaced and almost lost his rebreather from laughing too hard, it was all Fontaine could do to stay afloat with her laughter.

Finally, the laughter trailed off and the teens could talk again. And just in time, Fontaine noted.

"Now, I told you that I had something to show you, remember?" Fontaine said as the shadow circled them.

Finn cocked his head. "What?"

Fontaine was about to point, when the giant seahorse lifted her head from the water beside the teens. Finn yelped in surprise, making Fontaine laugh.

"She's huge!" Finn yelled, luckily more amazed than scared. "I knew she was big, but… woah!"

"How much did you see from earlier?" Fontaine asked.

"I was watching Daniels' camera." Finn raised a hand to the seahorse while she inspected the new human. "But I didn't realize how big she was!"

Fontaine smiled at Finn's awe. "Think she'll want to play, too?"

Finn grinned over his shoulder. "Let's find out!"

Finn dove. The seahorse promptly followed, and Fontaine was on their tails.

The seahorse, as it turned out, was very playful. She weaved through the water, surprisingly graceful for something of her size. Sometimes, she'd scoop one of the teens on her back and race through the water. Fontaine could have sworn that the massive creature was smiling.

Eventually, though, the kids grew tired. They swam to the surface and tread water while the seahorse swam slow circles around them.

"Her new home is near here," Fontaine explained. "Far away from humans and cameras, so she can live in peace."

"Where did she even come from?" Finn asked, smiling at the seahorse when she lifted her head beside him.

"We don't know. She isn't the first creature, though. Until we figure out why they keep coming, we can only do our best to protect them."

"Too bad she has to go into hiding." Finn lifted a hand. "She's beautiful and friendly."

The seahorse pressed her nose against Finn's hand. Finn chuckled softly while he rubbed her nose. Fontaine paddled closer and put her hand beside Finn's.

"Maybe it won't be forever," Fontaine said. She looked at Finn and found him watching her. "My family isn't the only people protecting these beautiful creatures. Maybe, someday, they can come out and meet the world. They wouldn't have to hide anymore."

"Yeah…" Finn's face fell. "I really hope."

Fontaine opened her mouth to ask if Finn was alright, when Finn glanced to the side. His eyes widened. Fontaine looked back at the seahorse.

The seahorse was… glowing. The soft skin under her and Finn's hands glowed blue-green, and the light had spread from her nose to the tendrils on her head and the fin down her back. The seahorse's eyes, seeming brighter than before, stared at the teens.

"Woah. She didn't do this before," Fontaine breathed.

"I didn't know seahorses could glow," Finn said with a chuckle.

Fontaine moved her hand away, and the spell was broken. The glow faded and the seahorse's eyes turned away. The seahorse nudged the teens, then turned and swam swiftly away.

"Hey, where are you…" Fontaine trailed off.

Fontaine and Finn stared into the water for a long moment. Eventually, Fontaine spoke.

"I hope we see her again."

Finn nodded. "Yeah. Me, too."

"Come on." Fontaine turned. "Let's get back to the Aronnax."

"Can we do this again?" Finn asked as the teens swam closer to the Aronnax.

"Sure," Fontaine said. "And I'll get the solar ski tube testing sequence on your tablet, so you can go swimming if you want."

"That would be nice," Finn said.

Fontaine smiled at Finn, then replaced her rebreather. Finn did the same. Both teens dove to return to the Aronnax.

* * *

**A/N: Guess who just became a recurring character? XD I love that seahorse (who's been named Luna), so I worked her into the plot. 0w0**

**Fontaine doesn't think too much about Finn speaking Latin in his sleep; it's just one of his quirks to her. And since Will likely speaks Latin and half-dozen languages, she doesn't quite realize how unusual it is.**


	34. Ninja Mode: Fishy Business

**A/N: I regret nothing of this chapter; it's about time Finn had some fun. XD**

**Response to Random Fan: Like this? 3 XD It's time Finn had some fun.**

* * *

"Mu-um!"

Ant's voice echoed clearly through the ducts. Finn, barely a few yards from a grate, tried to simultaneously pull himself further, stifle panicked laughter, rub his sore shoulder, and not drip water on the metal duct. A snicker escaped him at Ant's next declaration.

"Cooper struck again!"

In Finn's defense, he'd been bored.

* * *

_Fifteen minutes earlier…_

Fontaine was outside with Ant, clearing the propellers of seaweed. Kaiko was on the bridge, where she usually was. Will was in his study, studying the runes he'd ignored for nearly two weeks and Fontaine still hadn't gotten pictures of.

Feeling cooped up in the hideout, Finn wandered the ducts. Fontaine was the only person to frequently enter the ducts, so Finn never had to worry about running into anyone.

Just in case, though, Finn always kept his tablet on him. Dots on the screen, color-coded to indicate each of the Nekton family, showed where everyone was on the Aronnax.

Finn crawled to one of the vents and peered at the empty hall. Or, seemingly empty. Finn ducked back as Jeffrey swam slowly through one of the numerous tubes through the Aronnax.

Finn automatically checked his tablet, but the orange and green dots were still outside. Weird, Jeffrey was usually with Ant. Finn shuffled back to the vent.

Jeffrey stopped in the tube and turned. He stared toward Finn.

"Nobody else notices me," Finn informed the fish.

Jeffrey just blinked at him. If fish could glare, Jeffrey was doing it.

"Okay, you caught me." Finn opened the grate, since the hall was unmonitored. "Can you keep my secret?"

Jeffrey blew a bubble.

"Cool." Finn sighed. "I can't believe I'm talking to a fish. I think I've been on the Aronnax for too long."

Jeffrey twirled in a circle.

Finn chuckled. "Sure, make fun of me. Why aren't you with Ant?"

Jeffrey stared.

"Hey…" Finn checked his tablet again. "Want to play a joke on Ant?"

Finn decided that he'd definitely been on the Aronnax too long, because he could have sworn that Jeffrey _smiled. _But, since he was bored and rather wanted to mess with Ant, Finn decided to just go with it.

"Wait here," Finn said.

Finn backed away and was halfway to the hideout before the absurdity of telling a fish to "stay" really hit him. Again, he shrugged it off.

Finn dropped into the hideout. He grabbed his water bottle and an empty container from breakfast. At the last second, he put on his diving gloves. Ghosts don't leave fingerprints, after all.

Jeffrey was still waiting when Finn returned. Finn checked the hall and communicator trackers once more, then dropped into the hall. Finn poured water into the container, then found an opening in Jeffrey's tube.

"Now, how do I…" Finn trailed off as Jeffrey swam to the opening and jumped out, landing squarely in the container. "...okay, then."

Finn set the container inside the ducts, hopped inside, then closed the vent. Finn shuffled along the ducts, holding the container in one hand and his tablet under his arm.

"Amazing, right?" Finn said when Jeffrey appeared to study the ducts. "I know, it's not much. Better than some areas of the Dark Orca, though."

Jeffrey turned to him.

"At least the Aronnax doesn't leak."

Jeffrey blew a bubble.

"Don't need to rub it in."

Finn crawled up to another vent and sat. He set Jeffrey's container aside, then checked the tablet again. Nobody had moved.

"You sure about this?" Finn asked in an exaggerated whisper.

Jeffrey nodded.

Okay, then. Something was up with Ant's fish.

Finn hopped into the hall, careful to be quiet. He was in a more travelled hall near the Moon Pool room and, even though everyone was elsewhere, Finn was being cautious.

Finn set Jeffrey's container in the middle of the hall. There weren't any tubes or fish tanks nearby, leaving no logical way for Jeffrey to have gotten in the plastic tub of water on the floor.

Finn cocked his head, considering his plan. This was his first intentional "ghost" act, but he was curious.

After he'd made repairs in a section of the Aronnax that few people were supposed to be able to access, Will and Kaiko's attempts at finding an intruder had nearly stopped. Did they really suspect there was a ghost on board? What sort of things had the Nektons encountered?

Finn's thought was disrupted when the Aronnax suddenly turned. Finn braced his feet to ride out the motion.

_Bam!_

The loud crash was accompanied by a huge jolt through the Aronnax. Finn was thrown sideways and slammed shoulder-first into the wall. He sprawled on the ground in a puddle of water, then scrambled to his feet.

Motion from Jeffrey's container stilled Finn's bolt to the vent. He groaned when he saw Jeffrey, staring sorrowfully up.

While the container had miraculously stayed upright after the jolt, most of the water had splashed out. Jeffrey was barely submerged.

"Okay, but we'll have to be fast," Finn said, snatching up the container. "Whatever happened will probably bring Fontaine and Ant back."

Finn darted into another hall. Lucky for Jeffrey, Finn knew there was a tube in a nearby hall that was also unmonitored.

Finn ran to the opening in the tube and stuck the container inside. It quickly filled up, but Jeffrey didn't retreat to the safety of the tube. The fish stared at Finn.

"Really? You still want to do this?"

Jeffrey blew a bubble. Finn groaned, then lifted the container and bolted back to his original spot. He plunked the container on the ground, then stumbled to another halt.

Ghosts didn't leave puddles, either.

Finn huffed and jerked off his jacket to hastily mop up the water. He chucked the wet jacket into the ducts. As he boosted himself inside with slick hands, Finn heard the Moon Pool room door open.

Finn jerked the vent cover into place. He scrambled down the duct, then his sore arm gave out at the first turn. He pulled himself out of view from the vent, then heard Ant's voice.

"Mu-um!"

Finn was mostly successful in smothering his laughter in his dripping hands. Mission accomplished.

* * *

**A/N: The next chapter is very short and primarily to fill the gap, except for one thing. XP I'll post it tomorrow at some point.**


	35. Is This Your Ride?

"What was that?"

Finn looked away from his book, his innocent expression not fooling Fontaine in the slightest. "What was what?"

"Jeffrey mysteriously appeared in a tub of water on the floor."

Finn shrugged. "Maybe the Aronnax is actually haunted."

Fontaine snorted. "Sure it is."

"What did the Aronnax hit?" Finn asked, changing the subject.

"Mum rear-ended an underwater mountain."

Finn blinked. "Uh… how?"

"She was avoiding a ghost submarine."

"A ghost sub?" Finn repeated skeptically.

"Yep." Fontaine grinned. "Was that your ride, ghost boy?"

Finn chucked a pillow at her. Fontaine caught it with a laugh.

"Seriously, what was it?" Finn asked.

"We're not sure," Fontaine said. "It looked like a sub, but it glowed green, didn't show up on any instruments, and vanished without a trace."

"That… does sound like a ghost submarine," Finn admitted.

"Don't tell me that you believe in ghosts!"

"Hey, I've seen some odd things on the Dark Orca. I know something was glowing when Pete and I…." Finn trailed off, grin fading.

Fontaine blinked. "Pete?"

Finn cleared his throat. "Anyway, I've seen odd things. Ghosts wouldn't be the strangest."

"While I have to agree with seeing strange things," Fontaine said, mentally filing "Pete" away for later, "I refuse to believe that ghosts exist."

"Bold words for someone hiding the resident ghost," Finn said, then ducked when Fontaine threw the pillow at him.

* * *

**A/N: Pete will be the only major OC in this story.**


	36. Hanging Out in the Middle of the Ocean

**A/N: I really give up on this chapter. I wanted to keep close to canon, but there are just... so many questionable choices made in that episode. I gave up on my third try but, hey, at least Fontaine isn't _sobbing and screaming_ in this version!**

**Anyway. Jump ahead to Fontaine during Will and Kaiko testing her on her navigational abilities. Also, only the most vague knowledge of sextants going on here.**

**Response to Random Fan: Finn's either really brave or really bored. Both? And throw in Jeffrey? Bad mix. XD Pete is... a secret. XD Soon. Ish. Soonish!**

* * *

Fontaine wondered how many teenagers got sent out in a rowboat into the middle of the ocean at five in the morning. She was willing to bet not many.

Sure, she could call her parents if she got into trouble. And it wasn't like Will had sent her out unprepared…

Fontaine regretted not studying the old-school methods of navigation as much as her parents had urged her. If she'd known that Will was going to pull her out of bed before the sun rose and sent her on an impossible mission to find Kaiko, she definitely would have practiced some more.

But, there wasn't any changing what she should have done. She was halfway through her time to find Kaiko, and she was still clueless as to where she was.

Until she finally lined up the North Star with the horizon.

"Oh, I get it!" Fontaine grinned. "I totally get it! I have conquered you, sextant!" She grabbed the compass. "And that means Mum should be right over… woah!"

In her excitement, Fontaine forgot to keep the rowboat balanced. She stood quickly, then found the rowboat rocking wildly beneath her.

"Woah!" Fontaine yelped.

Fontaine grabbed the edge of the rowboat, then felt the compass slip from her hand. It fell into the water, causing Fontaine to panic. If she lost the compass, she'd never find Kaiko! She reached quickly for the compass, forgetting that the rowboat was already off-balance.

The wood dipped sharply beneath her, and Fontaine's hand slipped. Before she could react, she fell face-first into the ocean.

Though she hadn't had time to grab a breath, Fontaine didn't let herself panic. She quickly righted herself and surfaced. She shook her hair out of her face, then took stock of her situation.

The rowboat was still right-side up, though climbing back inside would be nearly impossible in the deep water. The compass was completely gone. She was safe, had her life vest, and could tread water for hours, but she was alone in the middle of the ocean. Worst of all, Fontaine was pretty sure she'd failed her parents' test.

"Oh, no," Fontaine groaned.

Fontaine scanned the horizon. She could see Professor Fiction's island in the distance, so at least she knew which way to get home. Swimming so far in the ocean was a huge risk, though. She'd call her parents before she tried to swim back alone.

Fontaine turned back to the rowboat. Failing the test or not, Fontaine didn't want to have to be picked out of the ocean. Would it be possible to get back into the rowboat alone?

"Worth a shot," Fontaine murmured.

Fontaine paddled closer to the rowboat, then froze when something touched her foot. She looked quickly down, but couldn't make out anything in the water.

"Just a fish," Fontaine told herself.

Something hit her foot, hard enough to knock her off balance and briefly duck under the water. She flailed back to the surface, sputtering.

"Too big!" Fontaine yelped. "Please be a dolphin, please be a dolphin!"

Fontaine spotted a shadow in the water, and spun to face it. She braced herself as it rapidly grew closer.

_Splash_!

Fontaine yelped and swatted toward whatever had surfaced. She hit something, but stopped from striking again when she heard laughter. She blinked.

"Finn?"

Finn, wearing the fullsuit and holding a rebreather, grinned at her. Had he been following her?

Fontaine opened her mouth to demand an explanation, but Finn stopped her by raising his other hand. He held out her dropped compass, grin growing.

"Finn!"

Fontaine splashed Finn, laughing when he sputtered on the faceful of water.

"What was that for?" Finn asked, chuckling while he backed out of reach.

"Have you been following me this whole time?" Fontaine asked back.

"I heard your dad sending you out, and I was curious."

"So, that's a yes. Why are you even awake this early?"

"I always am."

Fontaine raised an eyebrow in surprise. No wonder Finn had become bored enough for a "ghost act" the previous day.

"Is it really that strange?" Finn asked. "After all, Ant and Griffin already left."

"Left the Aronnax?" Fontaine looked at the sky, which was barely lighting. "Nobody else was supposed to be up."

"And yet your entire family is up," Finn pointed out.

"I'm only up under protest, and Ant probably snuck out. I wonder what could have caused him to do that… no, Griffin's with him, and Griffin is responsible." Fontaine shook her head. "But that doesn't matter right now. I have to find Mum."

"I can help," Finn offered.

"Do you know how to use a sextant?"

Finn rolled his eyes. "Old-school methods worked a lot better than the Dark Orca's navigation instruments. I could get you anywhere in my sleep."

Fontaine snorted. "And so humbly, too."

"When you have a gift, don't hide it," Finn said, dramatically cocky.

"Okay, Mr. Gifted," Fontaine said with a haughty sniff. "But how am I supposed to do that in the water?"

"Get out." Finn threw the compass into the rowboat. "Come on. I'll hold one side so you can get in."

"Shouldn't I get in myself? It's kind of a solo test."

"Yeah, but I think you'd sink the boat if you tried," Finn said. "Rowboats aren't really made for climbing back inside alone in the middle of the ocean."

Fontaine looked at the boat, and had to agree. Her dad had barely covered getting back into the rowboat, probably assuming Fontaine knew enough to stay inside the boat or at least call if she fell out.

"I won't tell anyone if you won't," Finn said with a grin.

"Deal, ghost boy," Fontaine said.

"I'm not a ghost," Finn said as he swam to the opposite side of the rowboat.

"Tell that to the rest of my family; especially after your stunt yesterday," Fontaine said.

"Did anyone get suspicious?" Finn asked, sounding nervous. "Should I lay low again?"

"I don't think so. It's so weird. Not even Mum was curious about the 'ghost' prank."

"She was a little distracted with getting the Aronnax back to base," Finn argued.

"But Mum can multi-task, or at least have us search," Fontaine said.

"She was very distracted?" Finn grabbed one side of the rowboat. "Climb in."

With Finn steadying the rowboat, Fontaine was able to get back inside. She quickly took stock of her tools, and was relieved to find that nothing else had fallen out.

"Alright." Finn propped himself up on the edge of the rowboat. "Where are we?"

Fontaine looked at the map. She made some mental calculations, then hesitantly pointed to the map.

"I think we're here." Fontaine moved her finger four inches to the left. "And Mum should be here."

"So, north it is," Finn said, pointing across the rowboat.

Fontaine checked the compass. "Yeah, how'd you know?"

Finn jutted a thumb to his right at the rising sun. Fontaine flushed at the obvious clue and busied herself with folding the map.

"I'm going to have to hurry," Fontaine said, ignoring Finn's grin. "Once I can't see the stars, I'm going to have to start all over with the sextant."

"At least it's a straight shot," Finn said.

"Yeah, but I won't know when I'm over her." Fontaine carefully stood and squinted across the dark waters. "I wonder if she'll be on the surface, or if I'll have to dive… Well, I won't figure it out just waiting here. Do you need help getting in, Finn?"

"I'd better stay out here," Finn said. "Once we're close, I'll have to stay back, anyway."

"Oh, right." Fontaine adjusted the oars, then sat down to start rowing.

Minutes passed in easy silence. Finn was content to stare across the water. He was so much more relaxed than he had been a week before, Fontaine was caught up in the moment. The only sounds were the splash of the oars.

Eventually, Fontaine said, "I think we're getting close."

Finn blinked back to the present. Without warning, he released the rowboat and ducked beneath the surface.

"Finn!"

Fontaine leaned forward, just catching herself from standing in time. She twisted, expecting to see the White Knight watching.

The ocean was empty, though. Fontaine checked the map, then Professor Fiction's island. She was straight out from a small cove she'd been using as a landmark on the west side of the island. Though, the sun rising behind the island obscured details. Was it the wrong cove?

Fontaine double-checked the map. No, she should have been far enough north. Maybe she needed to go further out.

Finn popped back to the surface. "No Knights in sight."

"So that's what you were doing," Fontaine said, relieved Finn hadn't left. "Hang on; I think we're in the wrong place."

Fontaine picked up the sextant, but the north star was long gone. By the time she got her bearings, Fontaine had a sinking feeling that she'd taken too long.

"Well?" Finn asked when Fontaine lowered the sextant slowly in defeat.

"Mum should be that way," Fontaine said, pointing further out. "But it's too late."

"Too late?" Finn asked.

"I'm pretty sure my hour is up. The sun is too high."

Fontaine glanced at her communicator, but didn't have the heart to turn it on and see how far past the time she'd gone. As she did, the screen lit up. Fontaine's eyes widened with an incredulous laugh.

"Hey, I've still got ten minutes!" Fontaine lifted one oar and shoved the other, turning the rowboat. "I can still make it!"

Finn laughed. "You really should watch more sunrises."

Fontaine grinned. She checked her comm, and was startled to find a message from Kaiko asking where she was.

"Almost there, Mum," Fontaine murmured, then sent her mom a quick message that she was on her way. "Come on, Finn!"

"Only until I see the Knight," Finn warned, but he was grinning, too.

Fontaine's comm buzzed with another message. Fontaine checked her comm. Her smile immediately dropped when she saw the message.

_"Ant and Griffin have gone missing. Sorry, Fontaine, but we're going to have to finish this later. Head back to the Aronnax, okay?"_

"What? No! I… I'm almost there, Mum."

Fontaine stared at her communicator for a long minute before sending a brief confirmation to Kaiko. She slowly readjusted the oars to turn back to base, but hesitated.

"Fontaine?" Finn asked.

"Mum and Dad gave me a test." Fontaine dipped an oar in the water and shoved in frustration. "Even if they aren't there, I'm finishing!"

Fontaine rowed until she thought she was far enough. She checked the sextant, but was suddenly unsure of whether or not she'd used it right.

Fontaine had told herself that she didn't care about the silly test. It had been easier to think when Fontaine thought she would fail.

But now, so close to passing the test, Fontaine realized that she _did_ care. Her parents so rarely made a big deal about the things Fontaine knew. This test was… new. And she'd been so close to finishing, only to have it taken away because Ant couldn't sit still for two seconds.

"Fontaine?" Finn asked. "Are you okay?"

"What am I even doing here?" Fontaine muttered. "I don't even know where here is."

Finn didn't say anything. He just took the sextant and fiddled with it while treading water. After a moment, he nodded.

"Exactly where you're supposed to be."

Fontaine blinked down at him. Finn wriggled the sextant with a grin.

"Congrats, you passed the test!" Finn said.

Fontaine stared at Finn, then felt her mouth turning up in a smile. She'd done it? She'd really done it? Fontaine had told herself that she didn't care about passing the test, but now that she had… it felt amazing.

Her comm chirped. Fontaine looked guiltily down, aware that she'd ignored her mom's instructions.

"_You made it, Fontaine! Sorry I couldn't be there to see you,"_ said the message.

Fontaine looked at Finn grinning, then responded, "_Maybe next time. Have you found Ant and Griffin?"_

_"No, Ant's signal cut off half an hour ago and your father found the solar skis abandoned."_

"Wait, nobody actually knows where Ant is?" Fontaine asked aloud. Finn looked confused, so Fontaine explained. "You've seen the trackers in all of our communicators, right? It's so Mum and Dad can keep an eye on us -specifically Ant- if we wander off. There's no way to just turn off the trackers, either. But Mum can't find Ant's signal."

Finn's eyes widened. "What does that mean?"

Fontaine shook her head, her earlier anger at Ant replaced with worry. "It means Ant and Griffin are really, totally lost."

* * *

**A/N: For those heartless people who want to see Fontaine screaming to the ocean, I'll be starting up _Intern Rejects_. It'll be all for alternate ways various scenes could have gone (usually involving tears or death) and some sub-plots that didn't make the cut.**


	37. Shadows In the Water

**A/N: This chapter was accidental. I started the chapter after this one, then realized that I'd had to cover too much between the chapters. So I did this to fill the gap.**

**Response to Random Fan: Very nice difference. XD Trouble? Ant? Nah!**

* * *

Nektons didn't get lost. Least of all _Ant_.

Ant could always remember exactly where he'd been and, usually, put together a path in unfamiliar areas. And for all his desire for adventure, Ant wouldn't let a friend be put in danger or intentionally drop contact with his family.

So if Ant was off-grid with Griffin, something really bad had to have happened.

"Okay, test's over," Fontaine said, turning the rowboat. "I need to get back to the Aronnax and grab a Knight to help search."

Finn nodded and dropped out of sight. Fontaine assumed he was swimming ahead, until he popped back up a few minutes later.

"You said the ghost sub was glowing green?" Finn asked.

"It looked like it. Why?"

"Because there's something glowing headed this way!"

"It's probably Mum or Dad." Fontaine stowed the oars. "Hurry, get out of sight!"

Finn threw her a quick salute, then he dove. Fontaine stood and peered in the direction Finn had pointed, but she couldn't see anything.

Fontaine turned on her communicator. "Mum, Dad, which one of you are headed toward me?"

"Neither of us," Kaiko said. "We're on the north side of the island."

Fontaine squinted. "Well, um… there's something headed my way. And it's glowing!"

"Don't move, I'm coming!" Kaiko said.

"Oh, I won't budge," Fontaine said, eyes on the glow.

The glow rushed closer, then passed under the rowboat. Fontaine leaped to the opposite side of the rowboat and peered down.

Fontaine was gripped with worry for Finn. Had he had enough time to swim away? Would the "ghost sub" care?

The glow made a broad circle, then abruptly stopped moving not far from the rowboat. Slowly, it started to rise.

"Uh, Mum? Where are you?" Fontaine asked.

"Nearly there. What's happening?"

"It's getting clos-"

Fontaine broke off as the water surged under the rowboat. A long, gleaming surface burst from the water, throwing up waves that rocked the rowboat. Fontaine dropped to her knees until the rowboat's motions slowed.

"Fontaine!" Kaiko called.

"It's the submarine!" Fontaine said in awe. "It's right here!"

"Are you okay?" Kaiko asked.

"Yeah, it's just…" Fontaine swallowed as something squeaked. "Um…"

A hatch on the top of the sub was flung open. Fontaine tensed, only to exhale in relief when Griffin's head popped out.

"Griffin!" Fontaine called. "I've never been so glad to see you."

"Fontaine?" Griffin said. "What are you doing out here in a rowboat?"

"I'll explain later. Is Ant with you?"

Griffin nodded. "He's steering the sub!"

"That explains why I almost got capsized," Fontaine muttered. She lifted her comm. "Did you hear that, Mum?"

"I did," Kaiko said, sounding relieved. "Tell them to stay put. Your father and I will be there soon."

"Okay, Mum." Fontaine looked at Griffin. "Our parents are on their way."

Griffin winced. "Oh, boy…"

Fontaine sympathized. Griffin didn't normally get into trouble or any sort of excitement; things just happened around Ant.

"While we wait, do you want to come inside?" Griffin asked, perking up. "It's really cool!"

Fontaine looked over the ancient sub. Surfaced and in the light, it wasn't nearly as spooky as it had appeared the previous day.

"Is it safe?" Fontaine asked. "It's wood."

"The _Conseil_ is over two hundred years old," Griffin said. "But it's still completely intact!"

Fontaine hesitated, but she was way too curious about the submarine. "Okay, I'll have a look."

Fontaine hopped from the rowboat to grab the _Conseil's_ slick, mossy side. Griffin jumped down and helped Fontaine climb to the top of the submarine. Fontaine was amazed at how solid the structure was.

"Are you sure this is two hundred years old?" Fontaine asked.

"I found some sort of manual inside," Griffin said. "It was written by Alessandro De Salazar in 1801!"

Fontaine shook her head. "Woah. What's it doing out here?"

Griffin shrugged. "The engines are water powered. Theoretically, the _Conseil_ could sail forever!"

"Huh." Fontaine spread her arms as the sub shifted. "Um, are we diving?"

"Why would Ant-" Griffin broke off to run toward the hatch. "We'll ask him. Quick, get inside!"

Fontaine saw that the submarine was moving forward as well as diving. It was too late to get back into the rowboat. She and Griffin rushed to the hatch and, water licking their heels, scrambled inside. Griffin slammed the hatch.

"Ant, why are we diving?" Griffin asked, jumping to the floor.

Ant rushed past from the direction of the tail. "I don't know! I saw someone in the water and left the wheel for just a second!"

Fontaine's breath caught. "Someone in the water?"

Ant poked his head around a massive metal tank. He wore an old captain's hat and a sheepish grin.

"Oh, hey, Fontaine." Ant added, "I thought I saw something, but it vanished."

Griffin rushed toward the front. "Ant, we're still diving!"

Fontaine ran after the boys. Past the huge tank, several smaller tanks, and a mess of pipes was a bridge of sorts. Ant stood in the front, clutching the spokes of an old-fashioned wheel. Griffin stood at one of the portholes. Fontaine eyed the portholes, desperately hoping that Finn was far from view.

"Ant, do you know how to drive this thing?" Fontaine asked.

"Sort of," Ant said. "I can steer, but I don't know how it works."

"It's all that," Griffin said, pointing to the tanks and pipes.

As the kids turned, something squeaked. A lever flipped up, causing bubbles to rush through the glass tube above it.

"What was that?" Fontaine asked.

Ant shrugged. "I told you, I'm just driving. I don't know how it works."

"Well, that's comforting!"

Humming filled the bridge and the floor started to shake.

"Grab onto something!" Griffin shouted.

Fontaine grabbed a pipe just as the _Conseil'_s nose dropped sharply. Everyone yelled as their feet left the floor.

Fontaine's gaze snapped to the main porthole. Suddenly, wherever Finn was didn't matter so much. Because the _Conseil_ had dropped into a crash dive!

After the initial drop, the kids were able to get their feet under them. Griffin grabbed an old book from the floor and flipped through it.

"What's going on?" Fontaine demanded.

"I don't know!" Ant ran to Griffin. "Fontaine, take the wheel!"

Fontaine grabbed the wheel, but there wasn't really anything for her to do. They were plummeting through empty water. Something began to creak.

Fontaine shook her head. "A wooden sub can't handle these depths."

"What's that mean?" Griffin asked nervously.

"We're going to implode!" Ant cried.

"Unless we crash first." Fontaine pointed ahead. "A canyon!"

The _Conseil'_s nose dropped even more, throwing Fontaine off-balance. She barely managed to get the _Conseil_ turned away from the canyon wall in time.

Water on her ankles made Fontaine look down. "We're taking on water! Ant, if you have a plan, now would be great!"

"I remember something from the dream!" Ant cried. "I need to find balance!"

Fontaine twisted to give her brother an incredulous look. "Ant, we could implode! Is this really the time to be discussing your dream?"

Fontaine turned her attention ahead again. The submarine had dipped further down and rocked side-to-side, making it hard stand, never mind steer!

Ant did something, then the _Conseil_ stabilized. Their descent lessened until they were leveled out. Fontaine threw the Conseil around a turn, feeling the water rising past her knees.

"I can get us out of here, but we need to go up," Fontaine told Ant over her shoulder.

"I'm trying!" Ant grunted. "Just give me a second!"

Fontaine angled the _Conseil_ through another turn, then inhaled sharply when she saw the canyon end in a stone wall. She turned quickly, splashing the waist-high water.

"Now!" Fontaine cried.

"There's too much water!" Ant said.

"Then get rid of it!" Fontaine snapped, whirling back to the front.

Fontaine frantically searched for another place to turn. But there was nothing but narrow canyon walls and Ant was yelling for Griffin and the water was up to her shoulders and-

Getting lower.

There was a loud splash and sputtering, then Griffin yelled, "Now!"

The floor suddenly tilted. Fontaine staggered, but kept her hold on the wheel. They were going up!

The _Conseil_ shot nearly straight up, clearing the canyon wall with way too little room to spare. The kids all cheered as Ant leveled them to a more gradual climb.

"That was great!" Fontaine said, turning from the wheel now that they were back in open water.

Ant held a level attached to a gear with both hands and grinned shakily over his shoulder. Griffin -missing his life jacket, oddly- sat on the floor with wide eyes.

"Let's go home," Fontaine said. She smiled. "So, who's explaining this to our parents?"

* * *

**A/N: Not totally sure if "crash dive" was the best term for their dive, but I came across the term and liked it. **

**XD You guys, I'm just... I'm just really amused with the next chapter. XD I wanted to post it today, but it'll have to wait until tomorrow. **


	38. A Nekton Ghost

**A/N: Guys! This story officially has the most reviews out of all my stories! You guys are amazing!**

**First bit of this is a bit redundant, but _so _worth it for the end! XD**

* * *

Living on a submarine, there was little point in grounding your child. Nevertheless, Kaiko had never been so tempted to just say it.

Ant was okay. Apparently he didn't realize that anyone had noticed him missing. Normally, this wasn't an issue, but Ant had never gone off-grid like he had in the ancient sub or dragged Griffin along on one of his adventures.

Kaiko sighed to herself as she walked out of Fiction's lab. She reminded herself that Ant was still okay. He and Griffin had handled themselves quite well, really.

As it turned out, the "ghost sub" had been real. Sort of. The ancient contraption made of varnished wood and steel had been built years ago by a brilliant inventor, lit by glowing algae and had sensors sophisticated enough to compete with the Aronnax.

Griffin had been sucked into the _Conseil_'s water engines, so Ant had gone inside to help him. The two kids had then spent the better part of an hour trying to figure out the mechanical wonder. They might have spent longer under the water, if they hadn't happened to pass under Fontaine.

That's when Kaiko had received the second scare of her life. After Fontaine had called her when Ant and Griffin raised the sub and Ant had come back on-line, both kids' comms had gone off-line.

Kaiko shook her head and stared across the water, willing herself to forget the incident until she could at least laugh about it.

Which left Kaiko with one thing to think about: Alessandro Nekton.

Two hundred years before, Alessandro had built the _Conseil_ to search for Lemuria. He'd vanished on the _Conseil_'s maiden voyage in 1801. Three years of exploration filled old journals found in the _Conseil_, before Alessandro's entries had abruptly ended in the middle of the book.

There were no records of Alessandro beyond 1801, the world assuming he'd perished with his submarine. When his entries ended, that was it for their clues. What had happened to Alessandro?

Kaiko looked at the water beside the pier. The _Conseil_ had occupied the space for several hours before unexpectedly leaving with no apparent cause. Ant claimed Alessandro's ghost must have retaken his vessel.

Kaiko's gaze went to the Aronnax, the _Conseil_'s 200-year-later counterpart. While she hadn't said anything, Kaiko could have sworn that she'd seen a shadow moving along the outside when everyone was returning. Checking the White Knight's cameras had given little more info, only a dark spot rising on the Aronnax before vanishing.

Two submarines. Unexplainable actions on both of them. Ant had seen a person-sized shadow just after the _Conseil_ picked up Fontaine, and Kaiko had seen a shadow near the Aronnax.

According to stories, ghosts are souls with unfinished business. Alessandro had vanished in his search for Lemuria. Two hundred years later, the Nekton family search went on.

"Don't be absurd," Kaiko muttered to herself. "No such thing as ghosts."

Kaiko turned away, but paused. She stared over her shoulder. Surely it wasn't a coincidence that it was a Nekton sub that this ghost had decided to haunt?

"Alessandro?" Kaiko whispered to the waves. "Don't worry. We're going to find Lemuria."

* * *

**A/N: I'm too amused by this. I've never had so much fun misdirecting a character. XD**


	39. What's In a Name?

**A/N: For the sake of this chapter, italicized sections are flash-backs. Who's ready for some answers?**

**Also, guys! I've got a mini-Finn now! My sister made him for me! 0w0**

**Responses to Random Fan: (37) Love the main character immunity. Unless I decide to go full AU. XD Nah. It's a very "Fontaine" line and "Ant" act. XD (38) Okay, but that would happen if Kaiko hadn't shared her theory. It's epic. XD All the digital cookies went to mini-Finn, and he's in a cookie coma. XD**

* * *

Finn stared at Fontaine, waiting for her to crack a smile. But Fontaine was completely serious, her eyes holding a hint of shock.

"Your mom thinks the Aronnax ghost is Alessandro Nekton?" Finn asked, repeating what Fontaine had told him.

"Yeah. I didn't believe it at first when I heard her tell Dad, but Mum's totally serious. She thinks Alessandro's spirit is still searching for Lemuria, and hitched a ride on the Aronnax because he's related to us."

"Huh." Finn slowly shook his head. "That's unexpected."

"Yeah," Fontaine said, finally grinning. "Who would've guessed that Mum would get so into the ghost theory?"

"So, Ant's calling me Cooper and your mom is calling me Alessandro." Finn shook his head with a chuckle. "What's next?"

"Well, Dad hasn't had his turn yet," Fontaine said. "I'd be worried about Dad's. You should hear some of his names."

"Like Ant?"

"Ant's named after a Greek god," Fontaine snickered.

"And you?" Finn asked.

"Mum's idea. My name's French."

"For what?"

Fontaine flushed. "Fountain." Before Finn could comment, Fontaine went on, "What about you? What's your name mean?"

"A body part of a fish." Finn raised an eyebrow. "What were you expecting?"

"I don't know," Fontaine admitted.

"I mean, that's my usual name," Finn went on. "But I've gone by many things. And trust me, some of them are a lot worse than the name of a man who's been dead for two hundred years."

Fontaine scowled. "Like what?"

"Keep in mind, I'm a former pirate," Finn said, chuckling. "And other pirates aren't always complimentary when you're stealing their stuff. But, can you keep a secret?"

Fontaine nodded.

Finn leaned forward. "Only one person outside the Dark Orca knows this, but Finn is actually my middle name."

"Really? What's your first name?"

"It's not pretty." Finn grimaced. "My first name is Rat."

Fontaine blinked. She didn't act overly startled, just briefly confused and, oddly, relieved.

"You were expecting worse?" Finn asked, grinning.

"No, it just makes sense now." Fontaine cocked her head. "Mum said that you used to be called 'Rat' on the Dark Orca. I didn't really know how to ask you about it…"

"Oh, yeah, my first name is 'Rat.' Sounds more pirate-y, but Mom wanted me to have a half-way normal middle name," Finn chuckled.

"So, what made you change from 'Rat'?"

"I got too big for the Dark Orca ducts," Finn explained. "Up until then, I was 'Scurryin' Rat,' but once I got to big to scurry… well, we had to come up with something."

"How'd you come up with Smiling Finn?" Fontaine asked.

"Oh, it wasn't me. Pete thought-" Finn broke off, the name triggering a memory.

"_Let's see your smile, Rat."_

_"Pirates don't smile, Pete."_

_"Fake chivalry, like that time you fell out of the ducts in front of the Nektons!"_

_"I panicked!"_

_"But your dad loved it, just try it!"_

_"So… Smiling Rat?"_

_"Ew, no, that's too much. What if you used your middle name?"_

_"Smiling Finn? That's worse!"_

"Finn?"

Finn snapped back to the present. He smiled out of habit, but he could tell Fontaine wasn't convinced.

"Who's Pete?" Fontaine asked.

_"Com'n Rat, you're slower than the Dark Orca in the arctic."_

_"Your legs are twice as long as mine!"_

_"Doesn't matter. See that pipe? It cuts past two whole halls, but I'd never fit in it."_

_"So?"_

_"But _you_ can!"_

"He is..." Finn shook his head. "He was my best friend."

"What happened?" Fontaine whispered.

"I… I made a mistake."

"_Finn! Finn, come on we have to move!"_

_He tried to listen, but his head was pounding and he felt weak. "Pete, I… I can't."_

_"C-come on, help me out!"_

_"I can't… just go, Pete."_

_"Finn?! Wake-"_

"What do you mean?" Fontaine's voice drew Finn back.

Finn's hand drifted to his head, where his hair covered a lumpy scar. "I nearly got myself killed."

Fontaine's eyes widened.

Finn grinned weakly. "Happens fairly often in the life of a pirate. But Pete and I weren't even supposed to be there, so…"

"So?" Fontaine urged.

"Pete was kicked out." Finn closed his eyes, trying to block out the image of ice-blue eyes full of hurt and betrayal. "I haven't seen Pete since he swore revenge against my father. C-can we talk about something else?"

"Yeah," Fontaine murmured. "Whatever you want."

"Anything else," Finn whispered, one last memory flooding his mind.

"_You taught me to never let anything go, Hammerhead." Steel rang a challenge. "And believe me, that's one lesson I didn't forget."_

* * *

**A/N: Hope that wasn't too confusing. I'm skipping ahead after this chapter. Fontaine intentionally drops subjects that upset Finn.**

**Okay, now, bear with me. I've got to write the whole _Tunnel _arc before I start posting.**


	40. There's Something On the Aronnax

**A/N: I'm about a third done with the Tunnel arc, so keep bearing with me, please. In thanks, I offer this silly chapter and a temporary cover. (Random Fan's cookies are pretty big for Mini-Finn.)**

**Guest review responses:**

**Guest: Pirates aren't the best at naming their kids. XD**

**Random Fan: Mini-Finn is awake and still munching. XD I know I mentioned the meaning of Fontaine's name in another story, too. Finn and Pete get hugs now.**

* * *

There was something on the Aronnax.

Did ghosts make metal creak? Scary children's stories often depicted them as rattling chains, so it was possible. Occasionally, something on the Aronnax would be mysteriously moved. Also possible, for the aforementioned reason.

Stowaway? Unlikely. Ghost? Only slightly more so.

The thing about ghosts was how little solid -pun intended- evidence there was about them. Everything was just speculation because, in reality, ghosts didn't exist.

Of course, Will had also come from a very long line of explorers searching for a city most claimed to be myth anymore. His whole life was dedicated to the impossible.

Will closed his book and set his glasses aside. He looked at the vent, wondering if he'd imagined the creak. He contemplated getting up and checking the ducts, but greatly suspected there would be nothing.

It was easier to believe in the ghost theory when even Kaiko had begun to believe. Will had noticed that she was talking more to herself aloud. Sometimes, she'd direct a comment to "Alessandro."

A Nekton ghost? More believable, and oh so fitting. Will rather hoped that was the case.

Will glanced at the open study door, then said carefully, "I don't suppose you'd like to show yourself, Alessandro?"

Silence answered Will.

Will thought about Ant's belief in the ghost. A random spirit was just as likely as a Nekton ghost, Will supposed. Again, there was no way to tell.

"Cooper?"

Still, silence. Perhaps the spirit had grown bored with Will and gone away.

Will replaced his glasses and set his books aside. He leaned forward and picked up the Chronicle to study it as he'd first intended.

_Creak_.

Okay, that one hadn't been imagined. Will carefully kept his eyes on the Chronicle. The ghost was still there after all, and interested in the Chronicle.

"Perhaps you are a Nekton," Will mused aloud. "I wonder who."

Will strained his ears for some sound, but received nothing in response.

"Well, if Kaiko and Ant can make up names, so can I."

Will smiled to himself and cast about for some nickname for the Aronnax ghost. His eyes fell on the Chronicle, which so often prompted the creaking, and the perfect name came to mind.

"What if I called you Rune?" Will asked, turning his gaze on the grate before he could stop himself.

Tiny, twin blue lights flashed in the darkness, then vanished. Will jumped to his feet, but his attention was caught by a gasp and clatter in the hall. Ignoring the ducts, Will rushed into the hall.

Kaiko and Fontaine stood in the hall, opposite of each other. Kaiko was wide-eyed and her tablet was on the floor. Fontaine watched her mom, eyebrows raised.

"Are you okay, Mum?" Fontaine asked.

"What happened?" Will asked.

Kaiko looked at Will, then back to Fontaine. She blinked a couple times, then shook her head and picked up her tablet.

"It was the strangest thing," Kaiko said, eyes never leaving Fontaine. "For a second, Fontaine, your eyes were glowing."

Fontaine blinked, eyes never changing. "Glowing?"

Kaiko smiled sheepishly. "I must have been seeing the light reflecting in your eyes."

Fontaine shrugged with a grin. "Hey, glowing eyes would be pretty cool." She glanced at Will. "Did you see it, too, Dad?"

Will shook his head. "I didn't see anything."

Will watched his wife and daughter walk away. He stepped back into his study and stared at the dark grate. It couldn't have been a coincidence that Kaiko had seen Fontaine's eyes seemingly glow at the same time Will saw the eyes in the ducts.

Yes, there was something on the Aronnax. And that something was somehow connected to Fontaine.

* * *

**A/N: Contrary to popular belief, Will can be very observant. XD You can thank Demigoddess8 for this chapter. Will wasn't going to have a nickname for Finn, but Demigoddess8 was just so curious, that I realized it was kind of unfair to leave Will out. ;)**

**Oh, and the glowing? I'll give you a hint. What was the last (living) thing to suddenly start glowing?**


	41. Rune Reader: Instructions Against

**A/N: YIPPEE! I've been SO excited for this little arc for the longest time. I'm sorry it took so long, but I needed to get it right. And the good news is, I have five more chapters ready to go! And tomorrow's chapter is _huge_ so there's that, too!**

**If you didn't see the update on my profile, I updated chapters 2, 18, 20, 23, and 33 with a Finn thing I'd managed to forget until now. -facepalm- Anyway, if you don't want to go back, this is it in a nutshell: Finn is fluent in Latin and Spanish, enough that he often speaks Latin in his sleep. (There's a good reason for this, to come later!)**

**Response to Random Fan: He is! And, yes, my sister made Mini-Finn. She's super talented! I can't mold for the life of me. XD Glowing eyes are cool, except for the first time you see them. XD It's alright, everyone's confused about the eyes. Explanation soon!**

* * *

"This is fantastic!"

Fontaine smiled at Finn's enthusiasm. It was a far cry from the quiet, sad boy who'd explained about Pete three days before.

Not wanting Finn to fall back into his quiet unsureness, Fontaine had let Finn drop the topic and just tried to keep him company. Then, Fontaine had the perfect opportunity to really cheer Finn up.

Will had spent much of the previous day studying the Chronicle, and he hadn't minded in the slightest when Fontaine hung around. Fontaine felt a bit guilty because Will thought Fontaine was interested in the runes for herself, but she had gotten some pictures of the runes out of the day to show Finn.

"See this?" Finn now said, pointing at a rune Will had been puzzling over. "That's 'instructions' or 'how to.'"

"That was fast," Fontaine said, amazed.

"It's one of the runes I've seen before." Finn thought for a minute. "I think it might be instructions on avoiding something, or just avoiding danger. You know, 'do this so that this doesn't happen.'"

"Dad translated the next rune as "'Great curtain of water.' He's researching waterfalls today."

"Okay, instructions to get through a waterfall safely? Or avoid it." Finn studied the next runes. "Does this look like a warning to you?"

Fontaine looked rune to which Finn pointed. "It looks like a snail to me. Dad thought it referred to some sort of pet."

"Maybe there's a guard snail out front." Finn chuckled.

"We're talking about an ancient civilization. Anything is possible."

"But it has to be long-term," Finn said. "If the Chronicle is so important, it wouldn't be filled with basic instructions or details that would fade after a few decades."

"What do you mean?" Fontaine asked.

"I don't know." Finn lifted his head with a grin that could only be described as "reckless." "But I can't wait to find out."

* * *

_That evening..._

Finn was studying a map when Fontaine returned with supper. She angled her head to see the map was of Greenland and Iceland.

"Denmark Strait?" Fontaine guessed, sitting beside Finn and holding out a sandwich.

"It's the world's largest waterfall," Finn said, not noticing the sandwich.

"Dad was talking about that same place, actually."

Fontaine cocked her head at Finn, then smiled as she mentally compared his thoughtful pose to Will's. She put Finn's sandwich on a napkin in easy reach.

"Dad said we'll arrive at the Denmark Strait tomorrow," Fontaine went on. "He says it's a nice place for a vacation, but it's pretty obvious that he's looking for the tunnel."

"A tunnel?"

"Dad translated the rune after the 'great curtain of water' to mean a tunnel."

Finn looked up, eyes alight. "So there's a tunnel behind the waterfall? I wonder what's in it."

"Anything could be behind the waterfall," Fontaine said. "Maybe a clue to Lemuria."

Finn dragged his tablet closer. "I'm pretty sure this is a warning."

"Like that's going to stop my family?" Fontaine asked in exasperation.

"Does anything stop your family?" Finn didn't wait, instead pointing to yet another symbol. "And this rune here. Something to do with falling?"

"So, we have instructions, a waterfall, a tunnel, falling, and either a warning or pet?" Fontaine summarized.

"And a whole lot more, but I don't get any of it." Finn tapped his translated line. "It's instructions about a waterfall. I think it means to avoid falling down it, or that you'll have to fall down it to find some sort of pet."

"Those are two completely different things, though," Fontaine said.

"Hey, I'm doing the best I can here," Finn said with a chuckle. "But the rune that's either a warning or pet is repeated on several pages. If we can figure out what it really means, it will help with translating even more pages."

"Maybe we'll figure it out tomorrow," Fontaine said.

Finn grinned. "Let me see if I'm free tomorrow."

Finn scrolled through his tablet, eyebrows furrowed in dramatized thought. Fontaine laughed when he stopped moving. His eyes slowly widened.

"Let me guess, you're completely booked?" Fontaine asked.

"I forgot…" Finn blinked and looked at Fontaine. "What day is it?"

"March… 24th."

"That means I've been here..."

"Um… I think a month?" Fontaine said. "Yeah. Wow, time flies."

"Sure does," Finn murmured.

"Are you okay?"

Finn blinked, then his grin returned. "Yeah, I just didn't realize how much time had passed."

"And we're finally going to get some answers," Fontaine said, pushing aside her concern. "Well, I hope. There might not be anything left."

"Something tells me that there will be," Finn said with total confidence. "I have a sense about these things."

"Sure, ghost boy," Fontaine said, shoving Finn's shoulder. "Now eat your sandwich."

"Aye-yi, ma'am," Finn said, a teasing gleam in his eyes.

Fontaine spent a few more hours checking maps while Finn pored over more runes.

Finn had turned quiet, though. Fontaine nearly asked him what was wrong, but didn't want him to turn silent and serious again. So, she simply kept him company until it was too late to keep working.

After all, Finn would be fine. Sometimes he just had a bad day, but he was just fine in the morning. Fontaine didn't worry as she returned to her own room.

No, she didn't worry until she returned the next morning and found Finn hunched up in a corner, eyes closed and whimpering one word over and over.

"_Mater_."

* * *

**A/N: Get your Latin dictionaries out, because there's going to be more in the next chapter!**

**I'm taking a stab at dates. -shrugs-**

**Finn translation: Mother.**


	42. Falling, Falling Down

**A/N: I'm starting a new thing called #hugfinn2020. To be honest, I'll probably forget it in a week, but Finn could use the love.**

**Couple notes. Finn wears his diving gloves constantly after the squid incident. Finn does use Kaiko and Will's first name, as pirates aren't much on last names. I do skip entire scenes where nothing changes, because this thing is already 4,500 words!**

**Response to Random Fan: Me, too! Finn gave me the perfect outlet to use different languages! 0w0 Theories are allowed and accepted.**

* * *

"Finn!"

Fontaine pulled herself into the hideout, landing in a roll. She dropped the backpack, then went to Finn.

He wasn't in bed, but sitting upright in a corner. Fontaine briefly wondered if he'd woken earlier and was waiting, but it was so strange for Finn to fall asleep so late in the morning. She wasn't even sure he _was _asleep, really.

"Finn?" Fontaine said, reaching out. "Finn, are you awake?"

"_Mater_," Finn whispered. "_Mater_."

Hand inches from Finn's shoulder, Fontaine froze. She couldn't move as a tear squeezed out of one of Finn's clenched eyes and streaked down his cheek.

This was… this was very bad. Finn was crying, apparently asleep, and obviously dreaming. What was she supposed to do? Would she startle him by waking him up? She knew it was a bad idea to wake sleepwalkers, but did that apply to nightmares?

"_Mater…_"

Fontaine shook her head. She couldn't leave Finn in his nightmare. She'd just have to wake him up, and deal with whatever his reaction might be.

"Finn," Fontaine said firmly. "Come on, wake up."

Finn jumped slightly when Fontaine touched his shoulder, but didn't wake up. When he continued to whimper and another tear ran down his cheek, Fontaine gave him a light shake.

Finn's eyes shot open. He jerked forward while reaching out. Fontaine twisted mostly out of the way, only her and Finn's shoulders hitting.

"_Mater, non est me! Niteo_!" Finn cried as he fell on his hands and knees. "_Mater, commodo_, don't… I can't…"

Fontaine watched cautiously as Finn's voice trailed off. He blinked his eyes into focus, then startled and looked around.

"What- where-" Finn touched his wet cheek, then grimaced. "Sorry."

Fontaine didn't realize Finn was talking to her until he glanced sideways at her.

"Don't apologize," Fontaine hurriedly said. "That must have been some dream, though."

Finn grimaced. "Not a dream…"

"A…" Fontaine hesitated. "A memory?"

Finn nodded. His face scrunched up like he was going to cry again, but then he rubbed his face dry and took a deep breath.

"I'll be fine," Finn murmured. "I just need to wake up."

"Finn… What's the matter?"

"It was a nightmare. I have it every year on this day," Finn said.

Fontaine didn't want to press, but Finn had been _crying._ She tried for a neutral question.

"Was that Latin again?"

Finn's face scrunched. "What did I say?"

"_Mater _and niko?"

"_Mater _and _Niteo," _Finn recited. "_Mater _is 'Mother'. And _mea Niteo_, 'my shine,' was my mom's pet name for me when I was little."

Fontaine hadn't heard anything about Finn's mother. She wondered why Finn acted so sad. "Where is your mom?"

Finn raised his eyebrows, then glanced away. He said quietly, almost to himself, "No, I suppose nobody else would know."

Fontaine waited, afraid Finn wouldn't go on. But, after a moment, Finn sighed and turned his gaze to the wall.

"My mom died six years ago today."

Of all the things Finn could have said, nothing compared to this revelation. It was a good thing Fontaine was on her knees, because she sat hard at the statement.

"Oh, Finn, I'm sorry," Fontaine said.

"Thanks. It's better now." Finn turned his head further away. "It's been years."

"Do you… want to talk about it?"

Finn shoulders drooped. "Pete and I always told stories about Mom. Don't want to forget her, you know?"

"I never met your mom," Fontaine prompted hesitantly.

"You'd have loved her," Finn said, turning his head a bit so Fontaine could see his smile. "She was cunning and bold, but she was also calm. She could calm Dad down in a few words. Sometimes, I think she was the only level-headed person on the Dark Orca."

"And she was passionate. Being around her, you couldn't help but want to be a part of whatever she was doing."

Finn looked fully at Fontaine. "You remind me of her."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Once Mom set her mind to something, nothing could stop her." Finn's eyes briefly turned distant. "Mom's the one who decided to raise Pete when Dad found him as a kid." Finn smiled at Fontaine. "And you decided to hide a pirate in the ducts."

"There's a bit of a difference," Fontaine teased lightly. She added slowly, "I wish I could have met her."

"Mom knew being a pirate was dangerous," Finn said. "She wanted to raise Maddie and me someplace safer. So, I spent my first ten years at one of our bases with Mom."

"Did you get lonely?"

Finn shrugged. "Pete came along when I was two, then Maddie, so, no. Plus, it was hard to be lonely around Mom."

"No?"

"She could make anything exciting," Finn said. "She taught us about machines -well, me and Pete; Maddie never cared- and how to survive. Even fighting. She taught Pete how to use a sword. She promised to teach me, but…"

Finn cleared his throat. "And the stories! Mom had so many stories. Some were legends or real. My favorites were the real stories, but sometimes she mixed her and Dad's adventures with legends. Like the time when she and Dad got stranded on this island and were saved by a glowing dolphin…"

* * *

"Fontaine."

Fontaine and Finn jumped. Finn clapped his hands over his mouth mid-sentence before realizing Will's voice had come from Fontaine's comm.

"Uh, yeah, Dad?" Fontaine said. How long had Finn been talking?

"Where are you? We're all waiting in the Moon Pool room."

Fontaine checked the time, then her eyes widened. It had been three hours! She glanced at Finn, who nodded and made a shooing motion.

"Sorry, I… I got caught up in a story," Fontaine said. "I'll be right down." Fontaine turned off her comms, then asked Finn, "Are you sure?"

"Yeah." Finn grinned. "I feel a lot better now, thanks. And I'm curious about what you're going to find."

"Me, too," Fontaine said, standing. "You watch things from this end. You might notice something we don't."

Finn gave an over-the-top salute. "Aye-yi, Captain!"

Fontaine shoved the brim of Finn's hat down, then turned before he could see her grin.

* * *

Fontaine knew the venture was going to go wrong when Will outlined his plan. Sure, the new Mag Knight had huge spikes on its feet and was heavy, but standing on the top of a waterfall still sounded like a bad idea.

"You three will help hold me," Will said while the family got into their Knights.

"Dad, the Mag Knight is bigger than the three other Knights combined," Fontaine pointed out as she climbed into the Swamp Knight. "If you fall, we won't be able to stop it."

"We're just going to help steady your dad," Kaiko said from inside the White Knight. "But, Will, do be careful."

"I will," Will said, then walked the massive knight to the Moon Pool.

Ant, in the Shadow Knight, popped to the surface. Ant had added a holder for the Jorange in the front of his Knight, much to Jeffrey's seeming excitement.

"Come on! You have to see this!" Ant said, swimming in an impatient circle.

"We're coming, Ant," Fontaine said.

Fontaine closed the Swamp Knight's dome, then jumped into the Moon Pool. Ant yelped as his Knight was sucked after Fontaine's.

"Oops," Fontaine said unrepentantly, then sped into the open. "Woah."

Fontaine had seen the waterfall a few times in the past, but it never ceased to amaze her. Water rushed over the edge of the underwater cliff and vanished into the distance. A dull roar of water could be heard, even inside the Knights.

"There's a tunnel behind all this?" Fontaine asked.

"I hope so," Will said, pulling up beside Fontaine. "Come on, let's get into position."

Will attached magnetic cables from the Mag Knight to the other Knights. With the other Knights to steady him, Will marched as close to the waterfall's edge as he dared to measure the flow of water. Behind him, Ant launched pingers into the waterfall to scan the stone walls behind it.

Though everything was going to plan, Fontaine was cautious. Moving one hand slightly, Fontaine opened her and Finn's channel.

"Can you hear me, Finn?"

Fontaine smiled when a yelp came over the line.

"Uh, yeah, I'm here. Miss me already?"

"Sure, ghost boy. Hey, what do you think of Dad's plan?"

"Like a recipe for disaster, which is about normal for your family."

Fontaine had to admit that Finn had a point. If the plan fell apart, it would just be another day in the Nektons' life.

Finn went on, "Just don't fall. There's probably rocks in the waterfall that could smash your Knight."

"Great thoughts," Fontaine said, shifting her feet for a steadier stance. "But I don't plan on falling."

"Good pl-" Finn broke off. "Uh…"

Fontaine closed her eyes. "Don't tell me."

"The Aronnax sensors are picking up something big falling into the water!"

"I told you to not tell me!" Fontaine opened her eyes to check above her. "Where's it headed?"

"Kaiko and Ant!"

Fontaine switched back to the family channel and yelled, "Mum, Ant, look out!"

Kaiko turned toward Fontaine, who pointed up. Kaiko looked up, then inhaled sharply.

"Ant, move!" Kaiko ordered.

The White and Shadow Knights shot forward. Seconds later, a huge chunk of ice crashed into the water.

Fontaine swayed as the push of water briefly strengthened, but she was enough out of the way to avoid getting dislodged. She looked quickly toward her family.

The White Knight struggled against the current, halfway between Fontaine and Will. The Shadow Knight had been able to move swiftly out of the way, and Ant took up position across from Fontaine.

Worse, though, was the Mag Knight. Will had turned halfway to see the danger and had been caught by the unexpected push. One foot was still grounded, but the other barely clung to the ice.

"Ant!" Fontaine yelled. "I'll steady Dad, you help Mum! If the White Knight goes over the edge, it'll pull the Mag Knight!"

"Wait, no!" Kaiko said. "Hold your positions. I'll grab the ice until your dad is steady."

"Okay." Fontaine grabbed the cable and pulled out the slack. "Mum, go!"

"Hurry!" Will grunted, one foot raising marginally.

Kaiko angled the White Knight into the current, then dropped. But the current must have been stronger than she thought, because it swept her Knight backward. Her hands missed a lip in the ice, then she bounced higher into the current.

"Ant, down!" Fontaine yelled.

Fontaine twisted and dove, firing her thrusters to the max. The Knight's hands clamped onto protruding ice and the feet gripped the ice.

Seconds later, a jerk on the cable nearly dislodged her. Fontaine tightened her grip, and sighed when she remained in place. Her relief vanished, though, when Will spoke in a tight voice.

"Oh, no."

A second, powerful pull on the cable ripped Fontaine from her spot. She yelped and flailed for a hold, but she was whipped away. She slammed against the edge of the ice, knocking the breath out of her, then she was in the waterfall.

"_Well," _thought an oddly calm part of Fontaine's mind, "_I guess if there's a tunnel down here, we'll find it."_

* * *

"Fontaine!"

Finn jerked up onto his elbows, slamming the back of his head against the duct ceiling. He sprawled on his stomach, regretting his moving into the ducts in a fit of boredom.

Shaking his head, Finn snatched his tablet. He quickly switched from the camera on the Swamp Knight, which was angled up, to the White Knight, the first to fall.

For the brief second of darkness between cameras, Finn caught a glimpse of his reflection. More specifically, of the glow in his eyes.

Finn yelled and threw his tablet. It clattered against the nearby grate. A second later, he scrambled after it. He picked up the darkened tablet and stared at his reflection.

His eyes were normal once again.

Finn shook his head. "I'm seeing things. I need to focus on Fontaine-"

In his reflection, his eyes flared.

* * *

"We've fallen a kilometer already!"

Fontaine's eyes snapped open at Will's voice. She looked around, disoriented. Why were they-

Right. World's largest waterfall, and they just fell over it.

Fontaine twisted to face down. The Shadow Knight, which was upside-down, was just below her. At the end of the cable, the Mag Knight flailed. Furthest away was the White Knight.

"Full thrusters!" Kaiko said. "Try to get out!"

Fontaine tried, but the force of the waterfall was too great for her to angle herself right to get out. She paused when she became aware of an odd sound.

"Is that… sucking?" Ant asked.

"Woah, brace yourselves!" Kaiko said, then the White Knight was jerked out of sight. A second later, Kaiko grunted.

"Kaiko!" Will called.

The Mag Knight was suddenly pulled into the wall. The sucking sound became louder, then Fontaine felt herself pulled backward and into a tunnel hidden behind the waterfall.

The Mag Knight crashed against the floor, feet-first. Fontaine was swept past him, then jerked to a halt at the end of the cable.

Fontaine clutched the cable, afraid of getting pulled further into the unknown tunnel. A second later, though, the current stopped and the cable went slack.

"And the current just stops?" Will said, confused. "Why?"

Any theories were ignored when a groan came over the comms. Fontaine spun to the White Knight and saw it crouching on the ground.

"Kaiko!" The Mag Knight released the cables, then kicked off the floor to the White Knight. "Kaiko, say something."

Kaiko grunted, then the White Knight stood. "I want a better holiday."

Fontaine smiled at Kaiko's disgruntled words, but her mom was moving more slowly than normal. Will silently began scans.

"Vitals seem okay," Will said after a moment. "How are you feeling?"

"Kind of like I fell down the world's largest waterfall," Kaiko said. She grunted and stiffly moved one arm. "And landed on rocks."

Fontaine turned to the stalactites and stalagmites lining the tunnel entrance. She winced at the thought of hitting one of those.

"Dad!" Ant chirped. "Lemurian symbol alert!"

Leave it to Ant to be completely thrilled with being trapped behind a giant waterfall. Fontaine turned to see the Shadow Knight floating over a giant Lemurian rune carved into the floor.

"Uh… isn't that the 'danger' rune?" Fontaine asked.

The Mag Knight turned to her. "What? No, this was the… name?"

"Well, which is it?" Ant asked. "Danger or a name?"

"The name of a danger?" Fontaine said wryly. "Dad, you said you translated this."

"Well, I got the 'tunnel' and 'great curtain of water.' Plus the name."

Fontaine briefly wished Finn wasn't still hiding. He'd put together more Lemurian than her dad!

"What?" Will asked, misinterpreting Fontaine's expression. "Lemurian is hard."

"Do we keep going?" Ant asked, already edging further into the tunnel.

"No," Will said firmly. "Our priority is to get your mom back to the Aronnax."

"As long as we're here…" Kaiko ventured, even though she was grimacing.

"The tunnel can wait until we're in the Rover and properly equipped for exploration," Will said.

Fontaine was slightly worried by Will's answer. When was the last time her family stood so close to a mystery and turned back?

Never.

Fontaine eyed the White Knight. Was her mom really okay?

Movement caught her eyes. Jeffrey was darting in circles inside the Jorange. If a fish could look panicked, he was pulling it off very well.

"Jeffrey's acting weird," Fontaine said. "Weirder than normal, that is."

"Jeffrey doesn't act weird," Ant said. He pulled the Jorange from his Knight and turned it. "Jeffrey? Why are you acting weird?"

Fontaine felt a slight pull on the Knight. She turned, groaning when she saw the kelp in the tunnel start to bend toward the tunnel.

"The current's coming up again!" Will said. "Everyone, grab onto me!"

Fontaine twisted toward the Mag Knight, accidentally dropping near the floor. She grabbed the Mag Knight's leg and held tight. The Shadow Knight latched onto the Mag Knight's arm, and the White Knight… drifted past.

The White Knight was unsteady, and Kaiko didn't seem to realize until she was past the Mag Knight. The Knight suddenly jerked straight, thrusters firing and one arm reaching out.

"Kaiko!" Will said.

Fontaine felt the Mag Knight shift. She turned to see the White Knight, just out of the Mag Knight's reach, pushing hard against the current.

"Grab my hand, now!" Will ordered.

"I can't…" the White Knight hummed loudly, "Reach!"

"Yes, you can! Try!" Will yelled.

"Come on, Mum," Fontaine urged.

Kaiko sighed, then the White Knight just… stopped. Without Kaiko's efforts, the White Knight tumbled head-over-heels away from the rest of the Nektons.

Will shot one of the magnetic cables. The current was too strong, though. Kaiko was already out of reach!

"I'll get her!" Ant said.

Before anyone could protest or plan, the Shadow Knight launched from the safety of the Mag Knight and raced after the White Knight.

"No!" Will yelled, reaching out in vain.

"No!" Fontaine cried.

In seconds, both Knights were out of sight.

"Ant!" Fontaine screamed. "Mum!"

* * *

"Mum!"

_Clang!_

Finn glared at the tablet he'd dropped yet again. He'd gotten distracted in rechecking the runes when Ant had noticed the carving, then Fontaine's yell had startled him.

Finn picked up the tablet, reflexively checking his eyes in his reflection. His eyes had stopped glowing when the Nektons had been sucked into the tunnel, and hadn't resumed.

"I leave you guys for two minutes, and what happens?" Finn asked.

Finn opened the camera feeds, but nothing made sense. Fontaine and Will were still at the entrance, fighting the current. Kaiko careened from wall-to-wall in the tunnel, while Ant appeared to be trying to grab her.

Finn opened up comms. "Fontaine?"

It took a minute, but Fontaine connected. "Yeah?"

"What's going on?"

"Mum's not responding. She got hit when we first were sucked inside so her comms might just be damaged, but I'm worried something's really wrong. The Swamp Knight isn't set up to check inside cameras or vitals in the other Knights. Can you check?"

"On it!" Finn opened a new screen, then sucked in a breath. "This is bad. Kaiko is unconscious."

"What?!"

Again, the reflection of Finn's eyes glowed.

"Her eyes are closed." Finn shook his head. "That's all I can see."

"The current's easing," Fontaine said hurriedly. "I have to switch back."

"Okay, be careful."

Finn opened the internal camera of the Knights, preferring to see the Nektons' faces over the blank tunnels. He gasped when he saw Fontaine's worried face. Her eyes were glowing as well!

"What does this mean?" Finn asked nobody. "Oh!"

Kaiko stirred in the Swamp Knight. She blinked blearily around, then began to speak. Finn turned the speakers back on.

"I'm a bit woozy," Kaiko was saying. "Otherwise, I couldn't be better."

"Liar," Finn huffed. "You don't just pass out for no reason."

"Can you tell us where you are?" Will asked.

Kaiko looked around, then said, "Well… it's not any kind of holiday destination I'd choose."

"What's it with you and a holiday?" Finn shook his head. "At least she's coherent enough to joke."

"No position data, either," Kaiko added. "Not surprising down here.

Finn checked his tablet. Sure enough, the White Knight's tracker was off-line. Not that it would do much good in the unmapped tunnels, anyway.

"Alright," Will said. "Fontaine and I are coming for you both."

Fontaine nodded. Finn returned to the external cameras as the Swamp and Mag Knights moved forward.

A second later, an unfamiliar voice yelled over the comms, "Stop!"

The Swamp and Mag Knights spun. Someone in an ancient diving suit marched closer. The large helmet obscured most of the person's features, but there was no mistaking the beard.

"Nereus?!" Finn exclaimed with Fontaine and Will.

* * *

Nereus knew about the tunnel. He knew about a niche to hide in when the current started again. Because of course he did.

And it wasn't a tunnel, but some sort of giant creature.

The entire family had been eaten because her dad didn't know the difference between a warning and family pet in Lemurian. Some days, Fontaine wondered how they were all still alive.

When the current subsided, Fontaine, Will, and Nereus pushed onward. Fontaine worried for Kaiko, who was stuck injured furthest in the sea worm. She opened up her and Finn's line, guessing he was keeping an eye on Kaiko.

"How's it looking?" Fontaine asked.

"As well as can be expected. Ant's nearly reached Kaiko, I think."

"Ant was supposed to stay put," Fontaine groaned.

"The Jorange got knocked off, and Ant chased it," Finn said.

"How's Mum?"

"I don't know. I thought she passed out a couple times, but I think she's just resting. Something got her attention a minute ago. I didn't see anything but isopods, but she's been trying to free herself since. Oh, Ant just reached her. You'd better switch back."

Fontaine returned to the family's channel. As she did, she noticed Nereus staring from his perch on the back of the Mag Knight. Fontaine mentally kicked herself for letting him see her talk, but didn't say anything to him. Hopefully, Nereus would think she was talking to herself.

Focusing on Kaiko and Ant again, Fontaine tried to not panic when Kaiko revealed her air scrubbers were damaged. They still had time to get Kaiko out.

After a brief discussion, Kaiko decided she needed to get out of the goo holding her in place. It was somehow eating away at the Knight's feet, putting her in even greater danger.

Fontaine wasn't sure what to expect when Kaiko activated her laser, but a dull, shaking roar wasn't it.

* * *

"Woah."

Finn pressed his hand against the duct wall. The giant sea worm wasn't too happy with Kaiko lasering her way free. The creature's roar shook even the Aronnax!

Unfortunately, Kaiko didn't have any choice but to continue. With everyone else nervously urging her on, Kaiko softened the goo enough to pull free with Ant's help.

The sea worm continued to growled again, then quieted. Neither Nekton dared leave, fearful of taking the wrong path, but Finn could hear Kaiko panting.

"_Sounds like…"_ Finn mused. The thought finished on it's own, more memory than thought, really. "_Mae Niteo."_

Finn blinked, then shook his head at the unexpected thought.

"_It's fine,"_ Finn told himself. _"The Nektons have been in worse -and weirder- situations. They're practiced at this by now."_

It was a little harder to think positive when the isopods attacked.

"Is the whole ocean against you guys?!"

* * *

"Finn, what's going on?" Fontaine asked.

"It's not good." Finn sounded strained. "They got rid of the isopods, but Kaiko's really low on air now."

"We're going to be there soon," Fontaine said.

There was a brief pause, then Finn said in a distant voice, "She's getting worse."

"Finn?"

"I'm okay," Finn whispered.

"You don't sound okay, Finn." Fontaine waited. "Finn?"

* * *

Finn dropped his head on the cool metal. After a minute, Fontaine stopped trying to get him to respond. Finn was grateful, as his mind had become an unpleasant turmoil of memories. The same memories he'd relived that morning.

The uncertain rasp of the breath, the pants between words, and brave smile had Finn flashing back to _that day_ six years ago.

The day he stood at his mom's bedside, tears on his cheeks as he begged his mom to stay with him. The day he listened to the gaps between breaths grow longer and longer. The day the fever took her.

Finn squeezed his hands into fists. "No! It's not… it's not the same. Kaiko's not sick."

Finn opened the Nektons' connection, just in time for Fontaine to say, "Her air is so low, she's never going to make it out against the current."

"No…" Finn whispered.

* * *

Fontaine didn't realize that listening to someone breathe could be so painful. Despite Kaiko's brave words, Fontaine knew her mom was doing badly.

She opened Finn's line, wondering if he would have an idea. He was experienced in low-oxygen situations, after all. She just hoped he was listening.

As soon as Fontaine opened the line, though, she knew something was really wrong. Finn breathed in ragged pants, occasionally muttering… in Latin?

_"Hoc non potest non esse vale."_

"Finn!" Fontaine said. "Finn, what's wrong?"

"Not again," Finn moaned.

"Finn! Finn, it's okay. We're going to get Mum out."

Finn didn't seem to hear her. Fontaine groaned, wishing they'd never left the Aronnax in the first place!

Rapid gesturing from Ant and Will prompted Fontaine to switch back to the family line. She sighed in relief when she understood Will's excitement. Using the remote controls on his Mag Knight, he was going to bring the Rover to Kaiko so she would have enough air to get outside.

It was a great plan until the isopods returned.

Kaiko was already struggling, so it was up to Fontaine and Ant to keep the isopods at bay. It wasn't easy, though. The Swamp Knight was the only Knight strong enough to pull the isopods free once they latched on, so Fontaine was busy helping Kaiko while trying to keep her own Knight free.

"Hang in there, Mum!" Fontaine said, glancing to the side.

Kaiko's eyes were clenched shut. Her breath rasped over the comms.

Desperate to get the sound out of her ears, Fontaine returned to Finn. He'd reverted to muttering in Latin again, breathing in harsh gasps.

Fontaine's own breath hitched. She'd never felt so useless.

* * *

Finn pressed his hands against his ears, but the harsh breathing continued to grate on his ears.

In his mind's eye, he could still see his mom. Hair stringy and limp, eyes cloudy, face flushed red, chest heaving for breath. Still, she had smiled for him, being brave while Finn had begged her to stay.

"_Ergo haec haud vale. Iterem autem videbo vos rursus, mea Niteo,"_ Finn whispered, repeating his mom's last words to him.

Her eyes had closed then. She hadn't woken up again, no matter how much Finn yelled and cried. And then she'd stopped breathing-

"Stop, stop!" Finn pounded a fist on the floor. "I can't…"

Finn opened blurry eyes. On his tablet, he could see Kaiko struggling for breath. Fontaine and Ant's Knights hovered around hers, hands out and unable to help. Everyone was so far away, how could he even…

Finn's eyes fell on Will struggling to control the Rover. The isopods made it impossible for Will to see where the Rover was going. Somebody else needed to take control, but none of the other Knights could.

But… there were controls in the Moon Pool room. The Nektons were always taking remote control of their tech. If someone was in the Moon Pool room, they could get the Rover to Kaiko!

"_Ergo haec haud_ _vale_," Finn muttered. "No. No, this is _not_ good-bye!"

Heart racing, Finn wiped his eyes. He dropped the tablet, swiveled, and drew his knees to his chest. He kicked out hard, feet jarring against the grate and throwing it into the hall with a _clang_. He clambered out, landing awkwardly on his knees, but he was on his feet and sprinting down the hall in a second.

Finn hadn't been able to help his mom, but he could help Kaiko.

* * *

"Come on!" Fontaine yelled. "My brother's room is scarier than you!"

Fontaine shoved down the fear tightening her throat. She couldn't give Kaiko air or be with Finn when he needed her, but she could keep the isopods away from Kaiko.

And hope her help would buy Kaiko some time, at least.

Fontaine snagged an isopod headed for the White Knight and threw it away. To the side, Ant grunted while he struggled to pull an isopod from his Knight's dome. Ahead, Will shoved isopods from his controls.

Even with all their efforts, they were being overrun by isopods! Fontaine kicked an isopod away, then turned to check on Kaiko.

The White Knight was still clear, except for a single isopod on the back. Nereus tried to pry the giant creature free, only for another isopod nearly as big as his body to attach to _him_!

A frustrated grunt from Will made Fontaine spin.

The Rover controls had been covered by an isopod! Will tried to reach the joystick, but the slimy creature writhed on the controls. The view from the Rover jerked and spun against the walls.

A rumbling roar made everyone flinch. The walls shook as the disturbed sea worm protested the out-of-control Rover careening down it's throat. The isopods twitched, and some of them fled to the walls.

"I can't control the Rover!" Will yelled, pushing at the stubborn isopod on the controls.

"The creature, it's…" Nereus glanced at the ice breaking free from the creature. "It's waking it up!"

The roar repeated. More isopods released the Knights, prompting a triumphant cry from Ant.

Fontaine shook off the last of the isopods and turned to her mom. She found Kaiko, still unsteady but oddly calm, staring at her.

"Fontaine?" Kaiko murmured. "Your eyes…"

"My eyes?"

Ant looked at her, then his eyes shot wide open. "Woah! Fontaine, your eyes are glowing!"

"What are you talking about?" Fontaine asked. "Are you getting enough air, Ant?"

A soft "oh" from Nereus stopped Ant from answering. The kids turned to the old man, who had become as rigid as Kaiko. But while Kaiko watched with curiosity, Nereus' eyes were only full of horror.

"No!" Will yelled, grabbing everyone's attention. "I've lost control of the Rover!"

Nereus' attention snapped to Will. "If you can't stop it, the sea worm will awaken!"

Will flung his arm out. "I don't mean it like that. I mean someone else is driving the Rover!"

* * *

**A/N: Sometimes, I love messing with canon. I've been waiting for the scene where Finn kicks out the grate since probably the beginning of _Interning_! 0w0**

**Translations:**

**_Mater, non est me! Niteo - _Mother, it is me! Shine! (Not a perfect translation, unfortunately.)**

**_Commodo - _please**

_**Hoc non potest non esse vale. **_**-This can not be good-bye.**

**_Ergo haec haud vale. Iterem autem videbo vos rursus, mea Niteo. _\- Therefore this is not good-bye. I will see you again, my Shine.**

**I spent half an hour getting the last line sorted, but it translates perfectly over! (In Google Translate. If there's any Latin experts out there... I tried.) To anyone wondering, Maddie's pet name is _Syreni _(Mermaid) and Pete is _Gladius _(Sword).**


	43. Steady Hands

**A/N: Again: love messing with canon scenes. At first it was hard because I was trying to match canon, but then I just went, "eh, forget it," and ran with it.**

**Response to Random Fan: Great! Because he's going to need it. And no panicking allowed! Yet. XD**

* * *

"What do you mean 'someone' else?" Fontaine asked.

"I mean, this isn't my doing!"

Will turned the Mag Knight's arm, showing the view from the Rover's cameras. It was driving quickly through the tunnel, avoiding the walls with ease.

Ant whooped. "Good job, Cooper!"

Nereus looked at him. "Cooper?"

"He's our ghost friend. He's been haunting the Aronnax for a couple weeks."

"And you _let _him?" Nereus sounded horrified.

"Well, he's been very helpful," Ant said.

"Great, Nereus believes in ghosts, too," Fontaine said with a sigh.

Nereus frowned at her. "And you don't?"

"She refuses to, even though we have video proof," Ant said.

Fontaine turned to Kaiko. It was simpler to just drop the topic when somebody mentioned the Aronnax "ghost."

"The Rover is nearly here," Fontaine said, staring into Kaiko's eyes. "Just hang in there, Mum."

Kaiko gave her a weak smile.

Will moved closer. "Kaiko, will you be able to hold your breath long enough to get inside the Rover?"

Kaiko blinked slowly at Will, then nodded.

"After this, we're keeping rebreather masks in the Knights," Will said.

Kaiko gave a slight chuckle.

A hum made Fontaine turn. "Dad, the Rover's here!"

The Rover dropped and circled them. It turned to Kaiko, then to Fontaine. One of the Rover arms reached out and tugged on the Swamp Knight's arms.

"What?" Fontaine said blankly, subtly asking Finn what he wanted.

"Somebody needs to be in the Rover in case Kaiko needs immediate assistance," Will said. "I think… er, Cooper wants you."

Fontaine nodded. "I have the most medical practice of the rest of us, too."

The Rover tugged again, harder, then rapidly began to fill with water. Fontaine glanced at Kaiko and saw her intent frown.

"Now or never," Fontaine said. "Ant, wait to start filling the White Knight."

"'Fill the White Knight'?" Nereus repeated, shocked.

"It's the only way to equalize pressure," Ant explained, moving the Shadow Knight to the manual controls on the White Knight.

Fontaine took a deep breath and quickly filled the Knight. She opened the dome and swam through the cold water. She shuddered, the fact that she was inside a giant sea worm suddenly strange.

Fontaine reached the Rover and dug under the console for a couple tube rebreathers. She put one in her mouth, then kicked over to the White Knight. She creased her eyebrows in a silent question.

Kaiko blinked, then nodded. As water filled the dome, she shifted upward to keep her head above water for as long as possible. She took a deep breath, then the dome was full.

"Open it!" Will told Ant.

Fontaine slid to the side while the dome swung upward. She surged forward, putting one hand on Kaiko's shoulder. With her other hand, she pushed the rebreather against Kaiko's mouth.

Kaiko flinched when the metal touched her lips. She turned her head away, clearly confused.

Trying to not panic, Fontaine followed. She pressed the rebreather into place again, sighing when Kaiko let it slip into her mouth.

Fontaine kept a hand on Kaiko's arm as she swam to the Rover. The canopy closed once Fontaine and Kaiko were inside, then the water began to drain.

Fontaine settled Kaiko into the passenger seat. Kaiko, eyes closed now, didn't react. She slumped in the seat as the water level dropped. Fontaine jerked her rebreather out, then carefully pulled out Kaiko's.

"Mum!" Fontaine rubbed Kaiko's arms. "Come on, Mum."

Kaiko grimaced, then her body jerked in a cough. A bit of water she'd swallowed while avoiding the rebreather dribbled from her mouth. She inhaled quickly, jerkily, then exhaled slowly. Her next breath was steadier.

"That's it," Fontaine said soothingly. "You're okay now."

Fontaine was just glad Kaiko hadn't swallowed more water. The day had been weird enough. She didn't need to give her own mom mouth-to-mouth.

Kaiko's eyes opened a slit. Still too breathless to speak, she slowly raised a hand to give a thumbs-up to her family.

Will, Mag Knight hovering beside the Rover, smiled. "You're going to be okay."

With Kaiko doing well on her own, Fontaine turned her attention to the console. As she did, the remote controls deactivated.

"I have control of the Rover," Fontaine said.

Fontaine briefly wondered if Kaiko was coherent enough to notice her calling Finn. She rejected the thought, unwilling to risk exposing Finn before he was ready.

"I'm attaching the Knights to the Rover," Will said.

Fontaine turned and saw Will remove his Knight's cables. In short order, the Swamp and White Knight were connected to the Rover. Nereus sat on top of the Swamp Knight.

"Everything's secure," Ant said. "Even Jeffrey!"

Fontaine shook her head at the sight of Jeffrey inside the water-filled White Knight. The fish seemed quite happy with getting a ride.

"That's everyone, then," Will said. Everyone flinched when the sea worm growled again. "Now go, go!"

* * *

Hands braced on the console, Finn barely dared to breathe until Kaiko opened her eyes.

Finn heaved a sigh of relief. He slumped against the console and turned the controls over to Fontaine. Slowly, Finn got himself back under control.

As he did, Finn remembered the cameras in the Moon Pool room. He grimaced and ducked his head lower, then darted from the room. He returned to the ducts, replacing the grate and turning his tablet on.

Finn watched the Nektons and Nereus navigate the tunnel, then shook his head. He hadn't had such intense flashbacks since the first year without his mom. Even the previous year, after Pete had… left, hadn't been so bad. What had changed?

"The entrance!"

Finn's attention snapped back to the tablet at Fontaine's cry. He tensed, seeing the stalactites and stalagmites of the entrance closing.

Were those… _teeth?_

The Rover jerked to a stop in front of the now narrow entrance. Everyone cried out as the only way out grew even smaller.

"I've got a plan!" Will suddenly yelled.

The Mag Knight shot forward. Will put one mechanical hand and foot into the narrow opening, then shoved up. The massive Knight worked the mouth further open, until it was between the teeth. Planting the Knight's feet and hands, Will forced the mouth open.

Ant cocked his head to the side, then turned toward some sound Finn couldn't hear. "What's that noise?"

"We can't stay here to find out," Nereus warned.

"Dad!" Fontaine yelped when the Mag Knight shuddered.

Will grunted. "You'll need to go flat out to break through the waterfall!"

The Shadow Knight drifted closer. "But what about you?"

"I'll be fine," Wil grunted. "Just go!"

Everyone hesitated, then the Rover shot forward. The Rover gained speed, then slammed through the waterfall.

The camera jerked a bit, then Fontaine had the Rover under control. The Rover immediately turned back.

With everyone else out, Finn turned to the Mag Knight's cameras. The external and internal cameras didn't tell Finn much, but he did know the Knight wasn't moving.

Will grunted, then the external camera jerked to an angle. Finn grimaced, wondering how Will was going to get out.

As the seconds ticked on, everyone outside began to worry. Their murmurings came through the speakers. Will had to hear them, but he didn't give any reassurances.

Had… had Will put himself at risk without a plan of keeping _himself_ safe?

A new sound came over the speaker. A sort of gurgling. If the Mag Knight had been above ground, Finn would have guessed it to be water, but Will was already underwater. What was-

Cloudy water suddenly surged from deeper in the sea worm's throat. It slammed into the Mag Knight with such force, the Knight was shoved out of its tight position and straight through the waterfall!

Everyone showed their relief in sighs and grins. Will just kept blinking. His and the Mag Knight's arms were held out to the side. The Knight was covered in thick, cloudy… something.

"Will!" Kaiko said. "What happened?"

"Uh…" Will grimaced. "I think I was… burped out?"

Maybe it was his own relief, but Finn laughed hard with everyone else.

* * *

Fontaine drove the Rover toward the Aronnax with the Knights trailing behind. Will occasionally gave a groan as he flicked creature saliva off his Knight, but Fontaine was focused on her passenger.

Once everyone was free, Kaiko had closed her eyes and laid her head back. Her face was creased and her breathing was still a bit weird.

By the time they reached the Moon Pool, though, Kaiko was sounding more normal. Her eyes were still closed. Fontaine suspected she had quite the headache by then.

Fontaine surfaced in the Moon Pool. She'd nearly forgotten about Finn by then, but was jolted back to her other issue when Ant groaned.

"Cooper's gone again." Ant sighed, then perked up. "Hey, I bet we could find him on the cameras!"

"Ant, we have to take care of Mum first," Fontaine said.

Kaiko opened her eyes and rolled her head to the side to give Fontaine a tired smile. "It's okay, Fontaine. I'm curious, too."

"Okay, let's go check, then!"

Ant opened the Shadow Knight's dome and jumped onto the deck. Fontaine opened the canopy and stood. She hesitated when Kaiko didn't move, but Will came to their aid by lifting Kaiko from the Rover.

"You should go to the infirmary first," Will said gently, sitting Kaiko against the console.

"Normally, I'd say you're being silly." Kaiko closed her eyes. "But that sounds good."

"I'll get a stretcher," Fontaine said, leaping to the deck.

Fontaine bolted from the Moon Pool room, and away from Nereus' stare. She didn't stop until she reached the infirmary. Panting, she paused to look at herself in the mirror.

Everyone had told Fontaine her eyes were glowing, but it didn't make the green glow emanating from her irises any less shocking. Fontaine stared for a minute, then forced herself to turn away. Her mom needed care, then she could deal with glowing eyes.

When Fontaine returned with the stretcher, Ant and Nereus were gone. Fontaine guessed they were checking the cameras on the bridge. She wondered how much Finn had revealed himself. She half wished Finn had been waiting when they had returned.

Fontaine shook her head as Will lifted Kaiko onto the stretcher. She'd deal with the "ghost sighting" when Ant found the right footage.

"Kaiko?"

Fontaine's attention was caught by Will's voice. She looked at her parents as Kaiko, expression thoughtful, carefully sat up.

"I'm fine, Will," Kaiko murmured, eyes wandering.

Before Fontaine could question her mom, Ant's excited voice came over the comms.

"Everyone, come to the bridge right now!"

"What is it?" Will asked.

"You have to see it for yourself!"

Fontaine hid a wince. Well, that had been fast.

"We'll be right there once we get your mother to the infirmary," Will said.

"Go on ahead," Kaiko said abruptly. "I'll wait here for you."

Fontaine looked back at Kaiko and felt the sense that her mom was hiding something. Her eyes were still distracted, but curious.

"Are you sure?" Will asked.

Kaiko nodded. "I'll be fine, Will. Go on."

Will hesitated, then turned and jogged from the room. Fontaine glanced at Kaiko once more, then followed.

Fontaine tailed Will to the bridge. The door opened, then Fontaine slammed into Will's back when he stopped without warning.

Will didn't react to the collision, instead breathing out a single word. "Incredible."

Now really curious, Fontaine stepped to the side. Her eyes widened.

"No way!"

It was the seahorse! Miles and miles from where she'd been hidden, she now floated right in front of the Aronnax. As she had during the night swim with Fontaine and Finn, the seahorse had glowing markings.

"What's she doing here?" Fontaine asked after a minute.

Ant, standing in the middle of the bridge with Nereus, spun. "I have no idea! But, look! She's glowing! She didn't do that before!"

"What does it mean?" Will asked rhetorically.

"It is bad news," Nereus turned and locked eyes with Fontaine. "Very bad news indeed."

* * *

**A/N: Luna's back! 0w0 Which is... bad? The following chapters had me hesitant at first, as it takes one of my AU elements much further than I'd ever planned. So. Are you ready?**

**I've always questioned why they made Kaiko swim to Will and the Rover when she was barely conscious, instead of taking the Rover to her. Also, why didn't she have a rebreather in the Knight? So, I turned this into the event that prompted the handy rebreathers.**


	44. Kaiko and the Ghost

**A/N: Apparently, last chapter was the chapter to mess up names. I caught one before posting, two people caught me calling Fontaine "Kaiko," and nobody noticed when I called Finn "Will." XD Sorry, guys, but they should all be right now.**

**Back to short chapters, but so much happening!**

**Random Fan: That's the joys of fanfiction, fixing the "why?" moments. XD Panic is allowed now. XD Cool, because Finn's going to need them!**

* * *

Kaiko was being watched.

She couldn't see it, but she could sense it. It couldn't be anything but Alessandro, but Kaiko wondered why the ghost hadn't shown himself. She wondered if the ghost was shy since he always hid from them. Were ghosts shy? Kaiko wasn't very read up on ghosts.

"Everyone, come to the bridge right now!"

Kaiko winced at Ant's loud voice. She briefly closed her eyes as her head pounded. Then she blinked as an idea came to her.

"Go on ahead," Kaiko said when Will reached for the stretcher. "I'll wait here for you."

Will looked uncertainly at her. "Are you sure?"

Kaiko nodded. "I'll be fine, Will. Go on."

Will and Fontaine didn't move at first, but curiosity soon won out. They left, leaving Kaiko apparently alone.

Kaiko closed her eyes and leaned back on her hands. She didn't move or speak for a minute.

"Alessandro?" Kaiko murmured, eyes still closed. "Are you listening? Thank you for your help today. You not only saved me, but you saved my family, too. I'll never forget that."

She didn't expect to get a response, so she was surprised by a slight creak from somewhere above. Kaiko resisted the urge to open her eyes.

"So, you are here?" Kaiko sighed. "Well, I hope you are. Otherwise, I'd just be talking to myself. Maybe I do have a concussion."

Another creak.

"It's entirely possible," Kaiko mused. "Submarines do creak. Rarely on cue, of course, so it could just be a coincidence."

Silence.

"Definitely a concussion talking." Kaiko sighed. "What if you're just all of our imaginations getting to us? We want a ghost on board, so we pretend-" Kaiko stopped.

Something -_someone_\- was humming.

Kaiko opened her eyes. She was still alone, but she was sure the humming wasn't just in her head. It was a slow, sad tune Kaiko half-recognized.

Kaiko tracked the humming to the vent high on the wall. She stared at the grate, wondering if she was imagining movement in the ducts beyond.

"I never would have guessed…" Kaiko murmured. "Alessandro?"

The humming stuttered, then resumed, louder. Kaiko was almost positive there was movement in the ducts.

"I don't suppose you'd mind showing yourself?" Kaiko asked.

The humming went silent with a creak of the ducts. Alessandro didn't make a sound for a long minute.

Then, very slowly, something slid between the holes in the grate. It was thin and gray- a finger? Kaiko leaned closer as it poked further out, then-

"Mum!"

Kaiko jumped so badly, she nearly fell off the stretcher at the sound of Fontaine's voice. All signs of Alessandro vanished a second before Fontaine rushed into the room.

"Fontaine," Kaiko groaned in disappointment.

"I didn't mean to scare you. What were you looking at?" Fontaine didn't wait for a response. "Anyway, let's get you to the infirmary."

"Er, Fontaine?" Kaiko said as Fontaine pushed the stretcher toward the door.

"You should really lay down, Mum," Fontaine said.

"Fontaine?"

"Don't worry, Mum, I'll take care of you."

"Wait, Fontaine," Kaiko objected. She put out her hand to catch the doorframe. "There's something here."

Fontaine startled, then became very interested in the wall. "Yeah?"

"I know I'm not usually one to believe in ghosts, but… I'm starting to think there's a ghost on board."

Fontaine groaned. "Please don't say that around Nereus."

Kaiko blinked. "Why not?"

"Because he's being ridiculous."

"I am not!" Nereus' voice preceded the old man rounding a corner. "And you should take what I'm saying seriously!"

"It's absurd!" Fontaine said vehemently.

Kaiko looked at Fontaine, too shocked by her tone to scold.

"Fontaine," Will said, coming up behind Nereus. "Maybe we should at least consider what Nereus is saying. Your eyes glowing isn't natural, and neither is that seahorse."

"Not you, too, Dad!" Fontaine said.

"Um…" Kaiko eyed Fontaine's rigid stance. "What did I miss?"

"Our seahorse friend from last week followed us here," Will said.

"And that's bad?"

"The glowing seahorse, the spirit haunting the Aronnax, and Fontaine's glowing eyes mean something. Something bad," Nereus said solemnly.

Kaiko raised an eyebrow. "Meaning?"

"He thinks I've been cursed," Fontaine scoffed. "Cursed by an Atlantean spirit!"

* * *

**A/N: Hey, even Nereus makes mistakes. **


	45. Fonaine's Curse: Warning

**A/N: Hesitantly titling this chapter for a small arc. If the circumstances of part two don't play out like I'm currently planning, this chapter will become simply _Fontaine's Curse._**

**Response to Random Fan: No, it will not. -hugs Finn-**

* * *

Ten minutes later, Fontaine stood in Will's study with her family and Nereus. Her arms were tightly crossed and she refused to say a word until Kaiko was ready to be the level-headed one.

Finally, Kaiko set her tablet aside and faced Nereus. She'd run brief scans on herself and taken painkillers for her headache.

"Okay, Nereus," Kaiko said. "First things first: Atlanteans existed?"

"As surely as the Lemurians," Nereus assured her. "Some even say they survived longer than Lemurians."

"Alright. And are Atlantean curses real, or just a myth?"

"The Atlantean curse is described in the Chronicle of the Deep."

"And what does it say?"

"It describes a large beast with glowing markings. Always blue. They are summoned by angry Atlantean spirits."

Fontaine resisted the urge to snort. Finn wasn't angry, Atlantean, or a spirit!

"Why would the spirit be angry?" Will asked.

Nereus stroked his beard. "Lemurians and Atlanteans were always at war with each other. Some think that it was the Atlanteans who destroyed Lemuria."

"So why aren't there more angry Lemurian spirits?" Ant asked.

"Who knows?" Nereus said with a shrug. "Perhaps Lemurians are more forgiving."

"But why would an Atlantean spirit care about us?" Kaiko asked.

"You are searching for Lemuria," Nereus said.

"And you think it wants to stop us?"

"Mum!" Fontaine burst out.

"What else does the Chronicle say about the curse?" Will asked placatingly.

Nereus waved everyone to the desk, where Will had left the Chronicle. Nereus pointed to a section of runes surrounding the image of a pair of eyes.

"The curse is made known by the appearance of an Atlantean beast and the carrier of the curse gaining glowing eyes. The Atlantean spirit's eyes also glow."

"I have seen glowing eyes in the ducts," Will offered.

"The seahorse is Atlantean?!" Ant exclaimed.

"Yes, though how the connection is made is unknown. The curse only describes that they will glow at the same time as the cursed," Nereus said.

"What does the curse entail?" Will asked. "Because this ghost has only been helpful for the whole family."

"According to the Chronicle, within two weeks of the glow beginning, the cursed will vanish without a trace."

Fontaine waited. "And?"

"That's all it says," Nereus said.

"I live underwater in a submarine. Not a lot of places to vanish to," Fontaine said. "Problem solved."

"What if Cooper can't take Fontaine?" Ant asked.

"You want him to take me?" Fontaine asked drily.

"Can I have your skateboard if he does?"

"No. Besides, you always fall off it."

"Kids," Kaiko said mildly. "Nereus, this spirit has hardly shown itself to be evil."

"It's _Atlantean_," Nereus said, as though that explained it.

"How do you know that?" Fontaine asked in exasperation. "I suppose you're Lemurian, and can just sense it?"

"You understand that, yet you can't believe in an Atlantean spirit?" Nereus asked.

"That doesn't make any sense," Fontaine said.

"Wait," Will said. "Nereus, are you Lemurian?"

"All Guardians are descended from Lemurians," Nereus said. "Didn't I mention that?"

"Uh, no!" Fontaine said.

"How did you never mention you were Lemurian?!" Ant demanded.

"It never came up," Nereus said.

Kaiko gave Nereus a stern frown. "You could have brought it up."

"I wasn't sure it mattered…"

Fontaine sighed and turned. Nereus was just going to talk in circles. Besides, he was mistaken about the curse!

"Fontaine-" Will started as Fontaine stepped outside.

"Let me talk to her, William," Nereus interrupted.

Fontaine sped up. She didn't want to talk to Nereus. He didn't know what he was talking about!

Unfortunately, Nereus followed. He didn't speak or get close, but Fontaine knew he was there. She kept walking, hoping he'd get the hint.

Eventually, though, Fontaine realized Nereus wasn't going to leave her alone. She stopped and turned to wait for Nereus to catch up.

"I'm not cursed," Fontaine said before Nereus could speak.

"I wouldn't be so sure," Nereus said. "Then again, you could be right."

Fontaine blinked slowly. "So, you don't really know if I'm cursed?"

"I have seen many things," Nereus said. "Real life becomes stories, stories become legend. Pure circumstances become curses to be avoided. Who can say what is real or not?"

"Then why didn't you tell Mum and Dad that?"

Nereus leaned closer. "Because your friend -who thinks he is being very quiet in the hall behind us- is in very real danger."

* * *

**A/N: Nereus, just give a straight answer, darn it! He's driving me up the wall, and _I'm _the one who wrote him! :P**

**It's been a theory of mine for awhile that all the Guardians are Lemurian.**


	46. Heritage

**A/N: ...**

**Response to Random Fan: Knowing Nereus, ever since Finn was born. XD Just when you're ready to dislike Nereus, he pulls some goofy stunt that makes you love him again. XD It's going to get... interesting. -hugs Finn-**

* * *

Finn flattened himself against the wall. How had Nereus known he'd abandoned the ducts when Nereus and Fontaine started to talk? He was sure he'd been silent!

"What friend?" Fontaine asked, alarm barely noticeable in her voice.

"Rat," Nereus said.

Finn grimaced at his first name.

"Rat? Like, an actual rat? The Aronnax doesn't have rats, Nereus."

Nereus sputtered indignantly. "I'm talking about the pirate Rat! Hammerhead's son."

Well, there was no hiding it anymore. Finn poked his head around the corner.

"You know the Cap'n?"

Fontaine startled. "Finn, why did you- I mean, how did you get on board?"

Nereus turned to Finn. The old man froze for a split-second with some odd, twisted expression crossing his face, then gave an amused shake of his head.

"I believe you know exactly how Rat came aboard, Fontaine," Nereus said.

Fontaine sighed and crossed her arms. "Maybe I do. And his name is Finn."

"I want to know how you know my first name," Finn said.

Nereus just gave him a pleased smile.

"Finn, this is Nereus. He's not going to tell you how he knows anything," Fontaine said grumpily. "Now, Nereus, you were right. I suppose you're going to tell Mum and Dad?"

"I think it's a good idea," Finn offered.

Fontaine raised her eyebrows. "You do?"

"Well…" Finn rubbed his arms, still a bit shaken by the surge of emotions he'd experienced. "Now is as good a time as any, I guess."

"No, they can't know!" Nereus said.

"So, you want them to keep thinking Finn's an Atlantean spirit?"

"Yes, and for good reason."

"Which would be…?" Fontaine asked.

"It's dangerous for Rat -er, Finn- to be on board the Aronnax."

Finn cocked his head. "Look, I know the Nektons and my family don't exactly get along, but I don't think I'm in any danger here."

"Yet," Nereus said darkly.

Finn took a step back. "Meaning?"

"Finn," Nereus said. "Have your eyes been glowing as well?"

Finn sighed. "Fine, we'll do it your way. Yes, they have."

"I thought so," Nereus said, nodding.

"Does that mean I'm cursed, too?" Finn asked.

"Possibly."

Finn and Fontaine simultaneously groaned.

"I really don't know," Nereus insisted. "I will have to check with the other Guardians. Perhaps I have missed something. I do know, however, that you are at risk if you continue to remain on the Aronnax."

"I get it," Finn said. "Why?"

Nereus glanced at Fontaine. "Your family is the closest to ever come to finding Lemuria. The closer you get, the more likely it is that other Guardians will wish to speak with you." He then addressed Finn. "And if I'm correct, you come from a… unique bloodline. One that has most regular people see you as an enemy."

"You mean beside the fact that I come from a pirate family?" Finn said drily.

"Which is a perfect cover," Nereus said, something almost like admiration in his voice. "Nobody would think twice if they didn't like you."

"Anytime you want to stop insulting my friend works for me," Fontaine ground out.

"Sorry, but it's true," Nereus said.

"Dad always said I've had more than my fair share of knives thrown at me," Finn said. "And Mom sometimes said it would be more dangerous for me than Pete around others. I assumed it was because I'm younger."

"Unfortunately, it has nothing to do with age," Nereus said.

"If that's because of his bloodline, why don't I get the urge to kill Finn?" Fontaine asked. "Well, no more than, say, Ant."

"The urge fades with time and exposure," Nereus said.

"Okay, so there's a reason people tend to come after me more than the normal pirate," Finn said. "But if the Nektons knew about me and your 'Guardian' friends weren't around me too much, then I'd be fine, right? After all, you haven't tried to kill me."

"I try to keep an open mind," Nereus said with a broad smile. He sobered. "But, the risk is too high. Because of the Lemurian in the Guardian bloodline, it will take more than a few hours to get used to you."

"What does being Lemurian have to do with anything?" Finn asked.

"You think Lemurians are the only ancient civilization to have descendants?" Nereus asked. "Finn, you really are Atlantean."

* * *

**A/N: ... -grins- -squeals- Finally! I've been _sooooooo _excited to reveal this about Finn! I almost blurted it so many times to reviewers! I finally, finally have the third and final AU point for this story! 0w0**

**(Yeah, I'm actually keeping track. The three major AU points are: Finn runs away, Pete opposing Hammerhead, and Atlantean Finn.)**


	47. Okay

**A/N: If you haven't seen the notice on my profile yet, it may take longer to get to reviews and some will go unanswered. Apologies, and the whole thing's on my profile.**

**Guest responses: **

**Random Fan: Answers below! 0w0 So many possibilities... -hugs Finn-**

**Random Person: Thanks! I'll get there... eventually.**

* * *

Fontaine gaped at Nereus. "You can't… you mean…" She looked at Finn. "Did you know?"

"No!" Finn shook his head. "I didn't…" He looked at Nereus. "Are you sure?"

"Your family can trace right back to Atlantean civilizations on your mother's side," Nereus said. "Your father's side is trickier, but, yes. I am sure."

At a loss for words, Finn shook his head. It wasn't every day you found out you were descended from an ancient civilization. Did that change anything? Nereus had acted like it did, but Finn didn't really think so.

He wondered if his mom had known...

"Fontaine!" came Will's voice. "Nereus?"

Finn clapped his hands over his mouth. Fontaine's eyes shot wide open. Will was just around the corner!

Nereus calmly walked out of sight. "Ah, William, I was just coming to find you!"

"Can it wait? I need to find Fontaine."

Fontaine frantically waved at Finn, then pointed down the hall. Finn nodded and sprinted away. He rounded the corner, found a vent, and scrambled into the ducts. It was a good thing he only wore socks, or else Will definitely would have heard him.

Finn laid on his stomach, trying to calm his breathing and racing heart. That had been close!

"Hey, Dad," Fontaine said.

Luckily for Fontaine and Finn, there was good reason for Fontaine's voice to be a bit off. She had just learned she was "cursed," after all.

Finn rose to his hands and knees to head back to the hideout and wait, but stopped.

Why was he still hiding? He and Fontaine were both ready for the rest of the Nekton family to know about him.

Nereus' worries seemed pointless, too. Once the Nektons knew about Finn's heritage, they could just keep the Guardians away from him, right?

Finn crawled back to the vent and opened it. He landed lightly on the floor and crept back to the corner. As he did, he heard Will's voice.

"Until the two weeks is over, either your mom or I will be with you on missions."

Finn frowned. What?

"Okay," Fontaine said.

"And in between missions," Will went on, "You are to stay with one of us."

"What?"

"As long as one of us are nearby, then nothing can happen."

Nothing could… right, the curse! Will didn't want Fontaine to be stolen by the "spirit."

Well, that was silly. Finn wasn't a spirit and he sure didn't know how to curse someone.

Finn knew Fontaine wouldn't last two weeks with no privacy. Sure, Fontaine was pretty social and liked to hang out with Finn, but for two weeks? She sometimes needed space, and having her parents hovering over everything she did would drive her up the wall.

Finn waited for Fontaine's protest. He wouldn't blame her if she told Will about him right then. In fact, he kind of hoped she would.

Finally, Fontaine inhaled. Finn leaned closer, ready to step into view as soon as Fontaine voiced her first complaint. He was ready to speak, ready to stop hiding.

"Okay."

Nothing else. No protest or reveals. Just a single, resigned, "okay."

* * *

**A/N: Chapters are going to be real jumpy for a bit, as a week of nothing really happening needs to pass. I'm just going to do a drabble for each day (Interning time, not real life) and need suggestions for three of the days!**


	48. Day One: Keep You Safe

**Response to ****Random Fan: Yep! When canon gives us nothing... we gotta make stuff up. XD Fontaine's not too impressed, but surely she can handle two weeks, right? ...right? -hugs Finn-**

* * *

Day one wasn't even over, and Fontaine was ready to scream.

She's spent the day with either Kaiko taking it easy on the bridge and Will studying the Chronicle. Going between the two places meant she needed an escort, which meant Ant following her.

Of course, Fontaine loved her parents and would gladly spend the day with them. It was the knowledge of Finn having to be alone that put Fontaine on edge.

The day had been intense for Fontaine, so she could just imagine how Finn felt. Between the flashbacks, revealing of the "curse," and uncovering his heritage, Finn needed company now more than ever.

But Fontaine was stuck in the study, staring blankly across the desk at the runes she'd never understood and wishing Finn was there to translate. And Finn was alone.

All because her parents wanted to protect her.

* * *

Finally, _finally_, Fontaine escaped her family. With a fair bit of nagging and pleading, Fontaine convinced Will and Kaiko that she would be safe in her room at night. Kaiko insisted on locking down the Aronnax and probably set some alarm to go off if Fontaine's door opened before dawn, but Fontaine could live with that.

As soon as the door closed and Fontaine was sure nobody was going to bug her again, she darted across the room and pulled off the grate. She stood on her bed to climb in, then jumped backward when she saw Finn waiting.

"Finn!" Fontaine yelped, startled but pleased.

"Sorry," Finn said with an apologetic grin.

"I was just coming to find you." Fontaine glanced at the door. "It's safer to talk here, anyway. Mum will freak if she sees I'm in the ducts."

Finn sighed. "Do you really want to continue keeping me a secret? Wouldn't it be easier to just tell your parents about me?"

Fontaine shook her head hard. "No way! Don't you realize what they would do?"

"Send me away?"

"They'd-" Fontaine blinked. "Do… do you want to leave?"

"No!" Finn said, then lowered his gaze. "But what if Nereus is right? What if I have cursed you? What if you'd be safer with me gone?"

"Curses are nonsense," Fontaine said firmly. "I don't know what the writer of the Chronicle was seeing, but this 'curse' can't be real."

"If that's true, why don't we just tell Kaiko and Will?"

"Because they would send you away 'just in case,'" Fontaine said. "And you heard Nereus. It could be dangerous for you to be with anyone else. As far as I'm concerned, the Aronnax is the safest place for you."

"And for you."

"For _all_ of us."

* * *

**A/N: ****I promise all these little snapshots are important.**


	49. Day Two: Revenge of a Fifteen-Year Old

**A/N: Okay, so DestinyDragons101 wanted to see Fontaine as a metalhead... this is about as good as it's gonna get. Also, FF is hiding reviews again...**

**I had to give everyone music tastes, so: Fontaine likes metal and lively, energetic music; Kaiko and Ant are Disney and upbeat music lovers, though Kaiko is more for the calmer songs; Will is classical; Finn likes most music, it just depends on his mood. Kaiko and Will both love lullabies, but gave up singing them when the kids got older.**

**Thanks to Cass and my cousins "Keith" and "Blaytz" for song names because I was drawing a blank, and DestinyDragons101 provided the title "Shoot to Thrill", the song Fontaine plays in _Bloop._**

* * *

Kaiko had been a fifteen-year old girl once. She'd been a grounded fifteen-year old in the past. She knew grounded fifteen-year olds were an unstoppable force.

Like the time she caused a "seal rebellion" with her seal imitations and lack of common sense. Or the time she'd accidentally disabled a dozen the penguin trackers and had spent the next week tracking down penguins. Or the time she stranded her dad and herself on an ice floe when she was overzealous with the drill.

After every incident, her mom had shaken her head and said she hoped Kaiko would have a daughter just like her.

Twenty-seven years later, Kaiko finally understood her mom's frustrations.

* * *

Kaiko had a headache and couldn't hear herself think. Her ears might have been ringing -which would be a really bad sign, since she'd gotten a concussion the previous day- but it was hard to tell past the deafening chords of whatever she was playing.

It was hard to make out the tune with her fingers in her ears.

Fontaine was doing it on purpose. Kaiko knew it. She'd expected resistance from her eldest when she and Will proposed their plan to keep her in sight, but Fontaine was way more frustrated than Kaiko had thought.

Two hours. It had been _two hours _since Fontaine brought her guitar onto the bridge -Will had kicked her out of the study- to play what seemed to be her loudest, rockiest music. And since Fontaine usually played with her amp...

Yeah, Kaiko had a killer headache.

Kaiko pulled her fingers from her ears and turned the chair. "Fontaine."

Fontaine, though, couldn't hear over her music and the headphones. Her back was to Kaiko.

Kaiko waited until Fontaine finished her song, then tried again. "Fontaine!"

Fontaine didn't respond as she began her favorite song, "Shoot to Thrill"_._

Kaiko sighed and rubbed her forehead. She understood Fontaine's annoyance and didn't want to stop her daughter from her way of calming down, but it was getting out of hand.

Kaiko stood and went to Fontaine, firmly pulling her headphones down. Fontaine jumped, ending the song with an abrupt _twang. _

"Mum!"

Kaiko had to stop from responding to close her eyes. Okay, the ringing ears wasn't entirely from the music.

"Mum?" Fontaine said quietly.

Kaiko opened her eyes. Fontaine's expression had gone from annoyed to worried.

"I know you're frustrated," Kaiko said. "But you need to give the music a break. Or… play something quieter, please."

Fontaine's scowl returned. "This is why I play in my room."

"Fontaine." Kaiko closed her eyes. "I have a headache. You have to play quieter."

"Oh… oh! I'm sorry, Mum, I forgot!"

"It's fine, just… play quieter."

Fontaine didn't say anything. When Kaiko opened her eyes, Fontaine was biting her lip and staring at her guitar. She stepped over to her amp and turned it off, then unplugged her guitar. She looked at Kaiko.

"Any requests?"

Kaiko rather wished for silence, but Fontaine felt guilty enough. She sat in the pilot's chair and thought.

After a minute, Kaiko suggested, "Oceans."

It was a family favorite, for obvious reasons.

Fontaine grinned, and Kaiko knew she'd made the right choice.

* * *

_Two hours later..._

"You're still playing?"

Fontaine stopped halfway through "Saturn" to frown at her brother. "You can leave again if you want." She resumed playing.

"Do you take requests?" Will asked, coming in behind Ant.

"I can't play classical music on an electric guitar, Dad," Fontaine said without pausing.

"Come on, I thought you could play anything," Will teased.

"I mean, I could. If I didn't fall asleep," Fontaine said, grinning.

"Guys," Kaiko laughed. "At least let her finish the song!"

"Thank you, Mum," Fontaine said. She strummed louder, drowning out whatever Ant was saying.

Fontaine finished the song. She glanced at her tablet, which held her music, then turned back to her audience.

"Still taking requests," Fontaine said.

"Stop," Ant said without missing a beat.

Fontaine gave Ant a half-lidded stare, then tapped her tablet. She swiped around for a second, then set the tablet aside and strummed the opening of an unfamiliar song. She grinned at Ant's groan.

"'Stop'_, _1997," Fontaine said, pausing the song.

"Huh?" Ant said.

"That's a song?" Kaiko asked, amused.

Fontaine nodded, looking quite proud of herself. "Do you know how long I've been waiting to use that one?"

Ant groaned loudly, though Kaiko could tell he was impressed. Fontaine beamed and started up the more familiar "Simple Song"_._

* * *

**A/N: ****"Simple song" is legit a song; I didn't believe it when Blaytz first told me, either. XD**

**The next chapter is my favorite of this arc! ^w^**


	50. Day Three: Familiar Tune

**A/N: Fifty chapters! Not an incredibly long one, but it has something I've been excited for!**

**If FF would show me reviews, that would be fantastic. -sigh- Since FF isn't cooperating, if you have a request (I still have two days to fill) you might have better luck with PMs.**

* * *

The following day passed much the same, just more calmly. With no rescues to keep them busy, the family eventually ended up in the study.

Will was busy with the Chronicle. Nereus hadn't stuck around after leaving the tunnel, leaving Will again on his own. Ant alternated trying to help Will and talking to Jeffrey. Kaiko, still recovering, read and Fontaine played quietly in the corner.

A few hours had passed when Kaiko noticed the silence. She lowered her book.

Fontaine had her guitar set aside and was busy on her tablet. Kaiko wondered if Fontaine and Jess were playing a game, then returned to her book.

Fontaine resumed playing a few minutes later. It was a slow, calming tune Kaiko recognized as an old lullaby she used to sing.

Before long, Kaiko found her head drooping. Her eyes closed slowly, memory mingling with half-asleep dreams.

_Hush now, my darling,_

_Close your eyes and sleep._

_Waltzing the waves,_

_Diving in the deep._

The lullaby whispered on, lulling Kaiko deeper to sleep. As she did, the song changed. Her words faded into a hum, taking on a deeper, echoing tone.

The song went on, becoming deeper and somehow ominous. It wasn't right, but it was so familiar… did Will used to hum the lullaby?

The humming rose louder and louder, then Kaiko found herself in the Moon Pool room. The humming roared from somewhere above. When Kaiko looked up, giant blue eyes flashed into existence.

Kaiko jerked back, suddenly finding herself back in the study with Will leaning over her.

"Did I startle you?" Will asked, smiling gently. "I didn't… Kaiko, are you okay?"

"Yes, I-" Kaiko rubbed her head, and was startled to find sweat running down her temples. "It… it was just a dream."

Will frowned. "What about?"

Kaiko jolted as the dream rushed back. "Where's Fontaine?"

"I sent her to bed, why?"

"Is it already so late?" Kaiko shook her head and swung her feet to the floor. "I need to check on her."

At that moment, Fontaine poked her head into the study. "Dad, don't forget- oh, Mum's up already."

"We'll be there soon," Will said. "Actually, Kaiko was just-"

Kaiko put her hand on Will's arm, stopping him. "I was just coming to say good night."

"Okay," Fontaine said with a smile. "Good night, Mum, Dad."

"Good night," Will said, glancing at Kaiko. Once Fontaine left, Will asked, "Are you sure you're okay?"

"Ye- no. No, my imagination is running away from me." Kaiko bit her lip. "Fontaine hasn't played 'Song of the Sea' for years, has she?"

"I noticed that, too," Will admitted. "I wonder what prompted it today?"

"Will…" Kaiko hesitated.

"What's on your mind?" Will asked.

"That lullaby. I heard it recently..."

"When?"

"It could have been my imagination," Kaiko said, though she knew it wasn't. "But, Will… the other day, after we escaped the sea worm and I was alone in the Moon Pool room, the spirit was there."

"Yes?" Will prompted.

"It was humming the lullaby."

* * *

**A/N: 0w0 I've been waiting to use "Song of the Sea" _forever_. I had an entire AU named after it! It's -uncanonly, of course- Finn's comfort song and one of his oldest memories of his mom. 0w0**

**Also, full credit for "Song of the Sea" goes to Nolwenn Leroy. I'm just borrowing the tune.**


	51. Day Four: Hand In Fin

**A/N: I retract my statement from Day Two. There's no big reason for Fontaine to be frustrated. She's just a stressed out teenager with no clear plan and no adult help.**

**RandomIsCJ wanted more Jeffrey and Prophe-Cass asked for cookies, so this happened. XD I got kind of bored with my snapshots, so everything is slapped together til the end of the week, sorry. **

**Response to Random Fan: Finally, reviews are showing! I've never seen the movie, either; I actually discovered the lullaby when I was trying to figure out the title of a song used in a Voltron comic. :P But, yep, it was a whole nother AU featuring Finn being raised from childhood by the Nektons. I surprised myself with 50 chapters. 0_0 -hugs Finn-**

* * *

Finn hadn't thought about how bored he would get without Fontaine to talk to. But with Fontaine under a near-constant watch, Finn was starting to realize that he didn't like being alone for so long.

Finn turned to the runes on his tablet. Fontaine had gotten a picture of the section of the Chronicle explaining the "curse," but Finn couldn't concentrate.

Eventually, Finn shoved the tablet away and flopped backward on the floor. He listlessly traced the lines of paneling in the ceiling for a bit, then sighed and sat up. He'd been cooped up for too long, so Finn decided to take to the ducts for a bit.

* * *

Half an hour later, Finn was still bored. Something that had changed, though, was a pang in his stomach. He knew it wasn't from hunger and it was just a twinge, so he chose to ignore it.

After several minutes, though, the pain had increased. Finn gave a slight groan, then crawled up to a grate in one of the less-traveled halls to lay down.

He checked his tablet to ensure he was alone, then let out a heavy sigh. He crossed his arms and rested his chin on them, then closed his eyes to ride out the pain. He wondered if his breakfast had disagreed with him, and whether or not he'd have to head to the little-used bathroom he borrowed.

Thankfully, the pain eased before long. Finn opened his eyes and stared into the hall.

Several minutes later, movement in the hall caught Finn's eye. He lifted his head slightly, and saw Jeffrey swimming through a tube. Finn checked his tablet again, and saw all the Nektons were on the bridge.

"What are you doing?" Finn asked Jeffrey.

Jeffrey swam in a quick circle, then turned to Finn. The boy waved, wondering how he'd gotten so bored that he'd converse with a fish!

Nevertheless, Jeffrey was content to react. He changed direction and swam back the way he'd come. He only went a few feet before pausing and looking at Finn.

"I can see why Ant always talks to you," Finn said. "Okay, I'll bite. Lead the way."

* * *

It was a bit tricky following a fish by way of the ducts, but Finn was glad for the distraction. Especially when Jeffrey ended up leading Finn to the kitchen.

Since the kitchen didn't have cameras, Finn chuckled lightly. "Are you hungry, Jeffrey?"

Jeffrey swam into a large tank of water rising from the middle of the floor. He stared expectantly at the grate.

"Okay, I'm coming out."

Finn eased the grate open and hopped to the floor. He stretched experimentally, relieved when he didn't feel the pain again.

"What now?" Finn asked Jeffrey.

Jeffrey turned and stared pointedly at the jar of cookies on the counter.

"You dragged me out here for cookies?" Finn asked.

Jeffrey blew a bubble.

"Why are there always cookies in the kitchen?" Finn asked. "And can you even eat cookies?"

Jeffrey just gave him a look.

"I'll take your word for it."

Finn grabbed a cookie and put it in Jeffrey's tank. Jeffrey wriggled his tail like a happy puppy and grabbed the cookie in his mouth. Because he was bored, Finn also took a cookie for himself.

"This is too easy," Finn told Jeffrey, nibbling his cookie. "Well, except for the whole isolated part."

Jeffrey swam in a slow circle, lugging his cookie with him. Then he swam to the top of the tank, where it was open. Jeffrey twitched his tail down, turning himself vertical with his cookie held over his head. With a flick of his tail, Jeffrey shoved his cookie outside the water to balance on the edge of the tank. He turned to Finn, then back up and flung himself straight up, out of the water. He landed with a _plop_, then leaped out again.

"Do you… want out?"

Jeffrey stopped his jumping to… to _nod_.

"You… Ant has a really strange fish."

Jeffrey looked annoyed, then jumped again.

"Okay, okay, I get it," Finn said with a chuckle. "Just give me a minute."

Luckily, Finn had been in the kitchen a few times, so he knew where to find a clear plastic water bottle. He found a bottle and scooped up Jeffrey, then dropped Jeffrey's cookie into the bottle as well.

Once he was done, Finn hurried back into the ducts. He replaced the grate and checked his tablet, suddenly aware of how much of a risk he'd taken out of boredom.

"You're stuck with me for now," Finn told Jeffrey, tucking the water bottle under his arm. "Or at least until Ant notices you're missing."

Jeffrey just returned to his cookie, his expression way too pleased for a fish.

* * *

Jeffrey was surprisingly good company. He watched attentively while Finn repeated what Nereus had said about the curse and Finn's heritage. Finn explained his and Fontaine's plan to wait out the "curse" and how he was struggling to translate the runes about the curse so he could find a reasonable explanation.

Finn tried throughout the day to get Jeffrey back into the tubes before Ant noticed, but the fish was adamant about staying. So, Finn just shrugged and kept carrying Jeffrey through the ducts.

* * *

"I wonder where the seahorse is?" Finn asked rhetorically so hours later. He was holed up deep in the ducts. "She left after the sea worm deal. I wonder if she's following us?"

Jeffrey bobbed his head.

"And I suppose you can understand her, too, huh?" Finn chuckled. "Wouldn't be surprised. Hey, can you keep a secret?"

Jeffrey swirled in a circle.

"Alright. I've named the sea horse. Luna, since I first met her at night. And I haven't even told Fontaine that, so keep your little fishy lips sealed."

Jeffrey blew a bubble.

"Thanks. Wouldn't want-" Finn inhaled sharply at a sudden pain in his stomach. "W-wouldn't- _urg_!"

Finn doubled over himself, wrapping his arms around his middle. He groaned as the stabbing pain pushed deeper.

Luckily, the pain soon abated. Finn, though, couldn't move at first. His entire body felt frozen in place, stiff with… fear? Finn didn't know what the fear was, but it twisted in his stomach like a living thing.

Finn exhaled sharply and opened his eyes. In the dull metal against the tip of Finn's nose, glowing blue stared back.

Finn gritted his teeth. He rolled onto his side, whimpering when the motion made his stomach twinge. Thankfully, the intense pain didn't return. Finn sighed and turned his eyes to the side.

Jeffrey's water bottle had been knocked over. Jeffrey watched Finn with what could have been concern.

"What was that?" Finn breathed.

* * *

Finn eventually convinced himself to get moving again. Thankfully, Jeffrey had discovered that he could nudge the water bottle along and Finn had left his tablet elsewhere, so Finn had both hands.

Finn made his slow way toward Fontaine's room. He still felt stiff and lingering fear tightened his throat, but it was still manageable.

Halfway to Fontaine's room, another pang dropped Finn onto his stomach. He groaned and breathed his way through the -thankfully less intense- pain, then forced himself on.

It took much longer than normal to reach Fontaine's room. Finn dropped to his side with a huff, then held his breath when he heard rustling from the room. He relaxed when Fontaine opened the grate.

"Finn, there you are!" Fontaine said. "I tried to call you, but… are you okay?"

Finn made a noncommittal sound, then squinted. "You?"

Fontaine's eyes were glowing. Her face was a bit pale and pinched.

"I think supper disagreed with me," Fontaine said.

Finn made the sound again. "Same here." Finn paused, realizing the ache was gone. "It's passed, I think."

Fontaine's expression relaxed into a smile. "I'm glad you're okay."

Finn smiled back, distantly curious when Fontaine's eyes lost their glow.

* * *

**A/N: Plenty of people get random pangs, and assume they'll live, right? XD**

**This chapter was going to be way more intense, but I decided I didn't want to go that route. I dumped out the original version for Rejects. It's terrible, but it was more painful than I had thought. :P**


	52. Day Five: Need For Speed

**Response to Random Fan: Poor Jeffrey is always trying to get a cookie, so I decided it was about time he got one. XD Want. To. Say. But. Can't! -hugs Finn-**

* * *

"Antaeus Nekton!"

_Busted_.

Ant spun, giving what he hoped was a convincing grin and hiding the screwdriver behind his back. "Yes?"

Kaiko stared at Ant for a long time, then behind him at the White Knight. She looked back to Ant. Behind Kaiko, Fontaine rolled her eyes and leaned against the wall.

"I told you to not work on the White Knight."

"I know, but… don't you ever wish the White Knight was faster?"

"That's what your Shadow Knight is for," Fontaine said, straightening. "Come on. Dad's waiting for us for lunch."

"Okay, what about stronger?" Ant asked, following Kaiko when she turned.

"Why don't you do that to your Knight?"

"The Shadow Knight is plenty fast, but it's not built for strength," Ant said.

"And that's what the Mag Knight is for. Besides, the White Knight is two years old. And that means…" Kaiko raised an eyebrow.

"That 'tinkering on it would cause more problems than anything'," Ant filled in.

"Exactly. So stop trying."

"Okay..." Ant darted past them. "Race you to the kitchen!"


	53. Day Six: Silence of the Aronnax

**A/N: At this point, I know I'm missing something, but I don't know what.**

**Random Fan: What Ant does in his spare time. XD -hugs Finn-**

* * *

_Tap… tap… tap…_

"Will?"

_Tap_.

"Hm?"

_Tap_.

"You're doing it again."

Will gave up trying to concentrate and dropped his pencil on the table. He leaned back in his chair, pulling off his glasses to rub his eyes. He drew his hand down his face with a sigh, then gave Kaiko a weary smile.

"Sorry, Kaiko. I just can't focus today."

Kaiko put her tablet beside the Chronicle. "Me, neither."

They lapsed into silence.

Across the room, Ant sprawled on the floor. He moodily poked at Jeffrey's fishbowl, while Jeffrey was ignoring him. Jeffrey seemed intent on watching Fontaine, who sat nearby, staring at the wall. Fontaine's guitar sat, forgotten, on the floor.

The study had never been so quiet.

"Kaiko," Will murmured. "Is Fontaine doing okay?"

Kaiko glanced at the teen, who was too zoned out to realize she was being discussed. "I don't know. She says she is, but I don't think so."

"I haven't heard Rune," Will commented. At Kaiko's raised eyebrow, he explained, "The spirit."

Kaiko shook her head. "You've named it now, too?"

Will shrugged. "He liked the Chronicle."

"How do you know?"

"I used to hear him when I was translating."

"Really?"

"Yes."

"Will… do you think Nereus was mistaken? About the ghost?"

"When it comes to myths, anything is possible, I suppose." Will stared at the grate. "Perhaps we were mistaken, as well. Rune did nothing but help us."

"Yes. I feel as though we've run off a friend."

"Funny, I was going to say the same thing."

"What should we do?"

"Keep watching Fontaine." Will turned his gaze back to his daughter. "I do believe he and Fontaine are connected."

"I wonder why? And how?"

Will sighed. "If only we knew."

* * *

**A/N: Psst... ask Nereus.**

** Bear with me for the next chapter, please. I've got four different perspectives going, an idea that's very hard to Reject, and a new minor character I'm getting attached to, despite the unlikeliness of her ever appearing again. I'll have it out by Sunday, at least, because I really need to move onto the actual plot of this story!**


	54. Day Seven: Sickness

**A/N: Okay, confession time. Part of the reason I've been absent is that I recently got a Switch and have been playing Animal Crossing. Now! Those of you reading this who also own AC:NH, I have a surprise for you. I've made and shared a few The Deep inspired designs at the Able Sisters kiosk. My creator ID is MA-5566-2144-2026. I have Fontaine's wetsuit, a Nekton cap, and a page of Lemurian runes shared, and I plan on adding more soon. **

**This chapter prompted _two _Reject stories, as I had to cut a concept and an entire chapter. The -non-canon- names of Will's parents are Thomas and Katherine, or Tom and Kat.**

**Warning: There is a lot of throwing up going on here.**

**Response to guest reviews:**

**Guest: Well, I haven't seen that, so I don't really know... I sometimes turn Nereus into Iroh, though. Perfect timing on the hugs, because everyone needs one this time around. -gives cookie to Finn and Jeffrey-**

**Random Fan: Even Nereus has his moments. XD I'm working on a theory about him. Yepper-do, her name is Aly! 0w0 -hugs Finn- **

* * *

Fontaine woke up running. She bolted out of her room, barely avoided Kaiko in the hall, and rushed into the bathroom. She dropped to her knees in front of the toilet just in time to throw up.

Between heaves, Fontaine heard Kaiko enter. Kaiko rubbed soothing circles on Fontaine's back while the girl threw up everything in her stomach. Even then, Fontaine couldn't stop dry-heaving for what felt like forever.

Eventually, Fontaine was able to wipe her mouth and sit back. Her eyes were shut tight and felt gummy. She couldn't stop shaking.

A hand touched her forehead, then Kaiko said, "She's got a fever, too."

Fontaine clenched her jaw while her parents talked. Her stomach was aching and empty. She felt awful, worse than any time she could remember. And her mouth tasted disgusting.

Fontaine inched her eyes open. She groaned at the brightness of the bathroom, and felt Kaiko resume rubbing her back.

Eyes wandering for a distraction, Fontaine found her reflection. The first and only thing she noticed was her eyes.

Her eyes were glowing again.

Fontaine swallowed, then felt saliva flood her mouth. "Mum-"

Fontaine leaned over the toilet for another round of dry-heaving.

* * *

Elsewhere, Finn pressed his sweating forehead against the bathroom floor. His body was wracked with shivers.

After several minutes, Finn forced himself to his feet. He flushed the toilet and turned to lean on the sink. He turned the water on and splashed cold water against his face.

Finn lifted his head and stared into the mirror over the sink. His blue-glowing eyes stared wearily back.

"What is this?" Finn murmured.

Finn's ears began to ring. The bathroom suddenly felt too bright, the intense light pressing in on his vision. Finn watched the glow in his eyes fade, then his legs grew weak and everything went blank.

* * *

At some point, Fontaine found herself in bed. She had a vague memory of Will carrying her to her room, but couldn't remember how long it had been.

"Fontaine?" Kaiko said, leaning into sight. "How do you feel now?"

Fontaine groaned. She wasn't throwing up, so she guessed it was an improvement.

"Here, see if you can sit up," Kaiko urged.

Fontaine groaned. "Mum, it hurts…"

"I know," Kaiko soothed. "I just need you to try and get some water down."

Fontaine shook her head.

"Getting dehydrated will only make you feel worse," Kaiko said firmly. "It's been half an hour since you threw up."

Fontaine sighed, but tried to push herself up. With Kaiko's help, Fontaine rose to a semi-seated position against her pillows.

Fontaine groaned, mainly in annoyance that she felt so weak. Kaiko even had to hold the glass of water for her! Still, she was glad when her stomach twisted at the first sip.

Kaiko quickly swapped the glass for a bowl. Fontaine choked, then the little bit of water she'd managed came back up.

"That will be enough for now," Kaiko said, helping Fontaine lay down. "Your dad is finding ginger. That will help."

"I don't wanna put anythin' in my mouth," Fontaine mumbled, feeling tired.

Kaiko said something, but Fontaine didn't hear her as she drifted to sleep.

_One hour later…_

Ant felt sick. Not throwing-up-sick, but worried-sick.

Fontaine had been just fine the previous day. The only time she'd groaned was when Jeffrey had followed her for two hours. She'd been her normal self, running from the bridge to the study every couple of minutes.

Well… she'd been quiet when evening came. Ant hadn't thought about it, but now…

Now Fontaine was groaning and thrashing in bed, and Ant couldn't help her. Not even _Kaiko _knew how to help her, and she could fix anything!

Right?

"Fontaine's going to be okay, right?" Ant asked when Will picked up Fontaine and hurried from the room.

"Yes. Yes, Fontaine's going to be fine. I just need to run some tests." Kaiko absently rubbed Ant's head. "Go find yourself some breakfast and wait on the bridge, okay?"

"Okay," Ant said, but Kaiko was already leaving.

Ant didn't move for a long time. He just stood in the empty room, hugging the Jorange to his chest.

_A bit later…_

Will never liked to see his kids sick or hurt, but this… this was worse than any other time he could recall. Kaiko was at a loss at what could have caused Fontaine to become so violently ill overnight, but there were so many things that could go wrong under the ocean.

Will glanced at Kaiko, running tests across the infirmary in uncharacteristic silence, then back to Fontaine.

Fontaine had woken in starts a couple more times since passing out, but she was so confused every time. She'd usually stared past her family, whispering to herself. She hadn't reacted to her parents, though she'd drank a bit when urged.

Will would have been more encouraged if she'd managed to keep any of the water down.

Now, while Will's attention was on her, Fontaine flinched. She writhed and groaned, then settled when Will put a hand on her arm.

Will waited to see what she would do next. He leaned down when Fontaine's lips moved.

"I'm sorry," Fontaine whispered. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay, Fontaine." Will's words made Kaiko turn. He shrugged, and went on, "Don't apologize."

"I can't…" Fontaine's face scrunched and she writhed onto her side. "I can't…"

Will waited, but Fontaine only sighed and stilled again. Will lifted his eyes to meet Kaiko's worried gaze, then Kaiko turned back to her work.

_One hour later…_

Finn startled awake with a gasp. He blinked at the ceiling, confused as to where he was and tension twisting his stomach. It took several minutes, but Finn managed to recall where he was and why.

Finn cautiously sat up. He groaned a bit when his stiff body protested and his stomach was still in knots, but the urge to throw up was gone. Frowning, Finn put a hand to his forehead. He wasn't sweating and he was thinking too clearly for his fever to have gone beyond the sweating stage.

The sickness was just… gone?

Finn tried to stand, but his limbs were shaking too much. He finally managed to stand using the sink, which he leaned heavily on. He glanced at himself in the mirror.

Despite his feeling better, Finn had definitely looked better. His hair was a flattened mess from sweat and thrashing, his face was pale, and dark shadows hung under his eyes.

Most interesting, though, was Finn's eyes. He hadn't really noticed before, but the pupil, iris, and white glowed different shades of blue. The pupil was a dark, dark blue, the iris an ocean blue, and the white was midday sky blue.

Finn stared at his eyes for some time, then blinked himself back to the present. He turned his gaze from his lightly pulsing eyes.

"This is… weird," Finn decided aloud. "Now, do I dare go back to my room…"

* * *

It was so rare for Fontaine or Ant to come down with something, Kaiko was always at a bit of a loss. Toxins from plants and animals she could handle. They had a source to be neutralized or to be gotten rid of altogether.

Sudden stomach bugs with no discernible source, though, were considered cause for concern.

Kaiko took blood and saliva samples from Fontaine. She studied them under her own microscope and sent her results to a former WOA colleague who specialized in diseases.

However, neither of them could find any reason for Fontaine's illness.

"Still nothing," Kaiko said in frustration after an hour of tests. "All of Fontaine's levels are normal."

"Have you run tests on the girl?" asked her friend, Dr. Alison Cuth.

"I've done everything, Aly," Kaiko said. She turned to where Fontaine laid on an infirmary bed under Will's watch. "But the only abnormality I'm finding is her fever."

"And she hasn't come in contact with anyone sick?"

"She hasn't left the submarine in over a week," Kaiko said, turning back to her friend. "And everyone else is fine."

"It could be an allergy," Aly suggested.

"So suddenly?"

"Has she been suffering reactions before now?"

"Maybe a couple days ago. She was looking peaked, but she's been insisting she's fine."

"Could be something in your supplies," Aly checked something on her side, then shook her head. "I'm going to have to look at it more."

"Kaiko," came Will's voice.

Kaiko turned quickly, relaxing at Will's smile. She smiled as well when Will leaned back, and Kaiko could see Fontaine sitting up.

"Fontaine," Kaiko said, standing. "How are you feeling now?"

"I'm… fine." Fontaine looked at herself, frowning as though she was confused. "What happened?"

"You got sick." Kaiko went to Fontaine's bedside and put a hand on her forehead. "Feels like your fever is gone."

In fact, if Kaiko hadn't known any better, she would have said that Fontaine hadn't been sick. Not only was her fever gone, but she was fully coherent and not showing any signs of nausea. At most, she was slightly pale.

Fontaine shrugged. "I feel fine now."

Kaiko hummed in thought. "Let's not push it, though. Try a little water, then we'll go from there. Are you hungry?"

Fontaine nodded. Kaiko relaxed more. If Fontaine was hungry, it was a very good sign.

"I'll get some crackers," Will said, standing. "And check on Ant. He must be frantic by now."

"Fontaine's okay?" Ant suddenly said, poking his head into the infirmary and making everyone jump. "Oh, uh… I was worried."

"You were worried about me?" Fontaine teased.

Ant hesitated, then grinned. "Who else is going to help me clean the Rover?"

Fontaine groaned dramatically. "Of course you'd be worried about chores."

Kaiko shook her head and went back to her tablet. "Well, Aly, Fontaine's awake and feeling fine."

"That's good," Aly said. She leaned out of view, then returned with papers in her hand. "Keep an eye on Fontaine, though, and keep running tests. If it's recurring, we'll need to know why."

"Definitely." Kaiko glanced back with a smile. "But I think the worst is over."

* * *

Far off, Kaiko's words echoed over the ocean.

"I think the worst is over."

Nereus shook his head in frustration as he set his staff aside. While he didn't like eavesdropping on the Nekton family, things had taken a… strange turn in the last week.

Nereus touched the scroll tucked into his belt. The scroll was ancient and moth-eaten from ages shoved to the wayside, but it was currently Nereus' only reliable source of information on the Atlantean curse besides the Chronicle.

"Nereus, where are you?" came another voice from the Lemurian staff.

Nereus rolled his eyes at Proteus' annoyed tone. "I am right where I need to be, Proteus."

"Glaucus is at the site. You are not. What is keeping you?"

Nereus adopted a jovial tone. "I'm in a rowboat, Proteus. These things take time."

"We don't have time. You should have taken the chopper."

"And how would I explain a helicopter to the Nektons, hm?"

"How are you explaining your rowboat?"

"Believe me, a rowboat is a lot easier to explain than a helicopter."

"You're in the middle of-" Proteus broke off with a huff. Nereus heard a muffled mutter of, "Crazy old man," then Proteus went on, "How much longer until you are there?"

"I can be there by morning," Nereus said, wishing for silence again.

"Make sure you are," Proteus said.

Nereus shook his head as Proteus ended the conversation without even a good-bye. Normally, Nereus would plan to give Proteus grief over his abrupt ending, but he currently had more serious issues at hand.

Nereus grabbed his staff and stood. He peered into the water, just barely able to make out the glow of the Aronnax. Luckily for Nereus, it was stationary. Unfortunately, it was also rather out of reach.

Nereus sighed to himself as he crouched to open the rowboat storage. He pulled out an old, bulky tablet. He wasn't a big fan of technology, but he did also prefer speaking face-to-face to people, even if it was just to ask them to surface.

Tapping into the Aronnax communications was an easy matter, and Nereus soon had a line open the bridge. He started to greet the Nektons, then paused.

Nobody was on the bridge. Right.

Nereus wondered how long he'd have to wait for someone to show up, then realized that there _was_ someone on the bridge.

Jeffrey floated in his giant tank on the bridge. He'd clearly noticed Nereus, as he was outright glaring at the screen.

"What? I'm working on it," Nereus said. "I don't suppose you could bring someone to the bridge?"

Jeffrey continued to glare.

"I have something that will help Fontaine," Nereus assured the fish. "If you could just bring William to the bridge, I will explain."

Jeffrey turned his tail to Nereus.

"Spirits, you're as stubborn as… as…"

Nereus blinked. What had he been saying? Ah, right, he was getting aboard. Except, he was still many feet above the Aronnax.

"Jeffrey, where was I?" Nereus asked.

Jeffrey turned. He stared at Nereus, then rolled his eyes and swam out of sight.

Nereus sat back. Yes, the expressive little fish so reminded him of his… older…

"Ah, there you are," Nereus said, startled from his distracted thoughts when a faintly glowing head of a giant seahorse rose beside his rowboat. "You've caused nothing but trouble, you know?"

The seahorse lowered her head a bit, somehow managing to look ashamed. Nereus chuckled and patted her neck.

"It's okay, little one." Nereus touched the scroll again. "I know now it's not your fault. But I do wish you'd do your job better."

The seahorse groaned and dropped beneath the water. Nereus turned back to his tablet as Ant stepped onto the bridge.

"Ah, Antaeus, there you are!" Nereus said.

Ant jumped. "Mr. Nereus?"

"Indeed." Nereus smiled as Will came up behind Ant. "William."

Will also started. "How did you open a line with the Aronnax?"

"Hello to you, as well," Nereus said wryly.

"Er, hello," Will said, clearly flustered. "But, how? It's a secure line."

"You must have left it unlocked," Nereus said.

"That's not how-" Will started.

"Now," Nereus interrupted, "I have something you need to see."

Will sighed and gave Nereus a fondly exasperated smile. For a second, he looked just like Thomas, his father.

"Can it wait?" Will asked. "We just had something come up, and Kaiko thinks we should head back to home base."

"Ah, how is Fontaine?" Nereus asked, as though the thought just occurred to him.

"How'd you know it had to do with Fontaine?" Will asked in a resigned tone.

"It was only a matter of time." Nereus sobered and pulled the scroll from his belt. "I found some information about the curse that Fontaine needs to hear."

Will tensed. "What about the curse?"

Nereus tapped the scroll. "It's a protection curse."

"That sounds counterproductive," Ant said.

"Ant has a point," Will said.

"The curse only takes effect if there is danger. Your daughter and the spirit are frightened. We must remedy the situation before it gets worse."

"I don't really think it could get worse," Will sighed, moving the pilot's seat. "Where are you?"

"Look up," Nereus said. "And, William?"

Will paused. "Yes?"

"I don't believe the worst is over yet."

Will frowned. "I don't understand."

Nereus shook his head. "The curse is complicated. I must explain it to Fontaine, and she will decide what to tell you."

"Why?"

"The curse can become worse when the cursed feels they have lost control," Nereus said. "By simply giving Fontaine this choice, you will do more for her than you realize."

As Nereus had hoped, Will accepted the explanation with a simple nod. Nereus knew he brought worrying news that Will and Kaiko might not want Fontaine to know, but there was simply no choice. The lives of two kids were on the line, and it was only fair that they knew the entire story.

* * *

**A/N: AshyGurl101 mentioned Jeffrey glaring at Nereus, so I had to include it. XD**

**I've been toying with an idea about why Nereus is the way he is for awhile now. Now, it's possible that he does just like to be mysterious, but when have I ever done anything the easy way? ;) **

**Finn passing out was written from personal experience, so I can assure you that 1. Finn got himself safely to the floor (for me, after everything went blank, I opened a door and was halfway down the hall before my body decided it needed to be on the ground) and 2. I don't know when everything went from white to black, but that's how it happened.**


	55. Fontaine's Curse: History

**A/N: Okay, so I ditched this for a little bit, but I'm pretty sure this is the chapter for... -party horn- 200 reviews! You guys are awesome! 0w0 And, there's a new cover!**

**This chapter was a bit weird because Nereus talked _so _much. I almost cut it in two, but you guys have been waiting long enough.**

**Guest responses! (Got a lot since I dropped off the face of the planet.)**

**Random Fan: So many questions about the curse, so little time. XD Nereus actually does a decent job at explaining it here. No, any sort of attack is never fun... -hugs Finn-**

**Guests: (1) -gives Fontaine and Finn extra blankets because it gets worse- (2) She is! My theory is that both Violet and Hammerhead are Atlantean, though Violet is the one with the strongest Atlantean blood. (3, I believe the last eight are all yours?) ch. 18- I think I have a Knight name sorted by now, but thanks! Ch. 22- What I meant is that there may be a medically sound reason for Finn to pass out _after _there's sufficient air, but I'm uncertain. It's an issue that's going to be causing problems later. ;) Ch. 23- Because I can! Ch. 24+25- Eh? And I do say. ;) Ch. 27- I love that song! Ch. 54- Lost in the abyss of "Griffin got distracted." Don't worry, it's temporary!**

**Kiwi: Ch. 30- Funny when we find comparisons like that, eh? Ch. 54- Thank you so much! I'm glad you like it! Since this is supposed to be primarily humor, I'm not going to really dwell on Finn's past, aside from him noticing differences, especially since Fontaine doesn't like him sad and won't let him focus on what used to be. 0w0 I know when Finn's going to be revealed, but it's _way _further out than I thought it would be!**

* * *

Fontaine could tell her parents were confused when she decided to speak with Nereus alone, but she needed them gone for a few minutes. As soon as Nereus had explained her sudden sickness was due to the curse, Fontaine knew she had to check on Finn.

Once the infirmary door was closed, Fontaine called Finn on her tablet, which Kaiko had retrieved for her, "for notes." Fontaine sighed in relief when he answered, though he looked so worn.

"You got sick, too?" Fontaine said in greeting.

"Yep." Finn sighed and rubbed a hand down his face. "Just finished cleaning."

"Ew."

"Not any worse than the bilge tanks on the Dark Orca."

"Finn, you're going to make me throw up again."

Finn grinned sheepishly. "Sorry."

"Don't be. Hey, we've got a few minutes. Think you can make it to the infirmary?"

"Probably."

"Good. Mum's got this electrolyte drink that really helps. There's a bottle for you near the grate. And Nereus is here. He said he found out more about the curse."

"I'm on my way. It'll take me a bit, so I'll listen on my way."

"Deal." Fontaine turned to where Nereus waited patiently. "Now, do you really think the curse is what made Finn and me sick?"

"I believe so. It's happened before," Nereus said, pulling a scroll that looked ready to fall apart from his belt. "I found various stories, but this was in the Guardians' records."

"You should really find a better way to keep records," Fontaine said drily.

"This scroll is six thousand years old," Nereus said, sounding insulted.

"Oh." Fontaine blinked. "What does it say?"

"First, I should explain the curse. It's a protective curse," Nereus said.

"That sounds counter-productive," Finn said, giving a small grunt as he climbed into the ducts.

"It's named such because only Atlanteans can set it in place," Nereus said. "And anything Atlantean is generally considered a curse."

"Gee, thanks."

"I am using Lemurian records." At least Nereus sounded apologetic.

"Okay, you win this time. What does the curse do?"

"That is when it gets… tricky," Nereus said. "There are few records of the curse, and most are unreliable. But it appears to bond an Atlantean to another."

"So… we both feel what the other does?"

"Perhaps eventually."

"No, it's happening now," Fontaine said. "Finn and I both got sick."

Nereus shook his head. "You aren't asking why you got sick in the first place."

Fontaine glanced at her tablet. Finn had stopped crawling to give the screen the same look of confusion Fontaine was.

"People get sick when a virus gets inside them, Nereus," Fontaine said.

"But do they get sick for no reason, then simply recover?"

"I mean… sometimes," Fontaine said, not understanding what Nereus was getting at.

"Really?"

"Okay, there's always a reason," Fontaine admitted. "But sometimes it's not clear and doesn't really matter because it clears up on it's own. Like the common cold."

"Except this curse is anything but common," Nereus said.

"Yes, but the curse made us sick?" Fontaine asked. "How? Maybe it's a coincidence. Maybe one of us just got sick, and the curse made the other one sick. You said it's a _protective_ curse, Nereus, but that makes no sense!"

"Throwing up is the body's way of getting rid of toxins," Nereus said, frowning worriedly. "Because you two have no doubt been stressed this week, the curse is trying to get rid of the cause of discomfort."

"By making us throw up?" Finn asked.

"I never said the curse was entirely effective."

Fontaine rolled her eyes. "Fantastic. Yeah, we were stressed because Mum and Dad went into overprotective mode and Finn's at more risk than ever at being discovered."

"Which you can't let happen because Finn _is _Atlantean, and you're afraid they won't let him stay on board because of the curse," Nereus said.

Fontaine nodded. "I don't want him to leave."

"And I don't want to go," Finn added.

"Finn can't leave, not while the curse is unstable," Nereus said.

"'Unstable'?" Fontaine repeated.

"Unstable appears to be the best way to describe the curse," Nereus explained.

"You've got a point. What is this curse even supposed to do, anyway?" Fontaine asked.

"The curse will do what it can to remove you from danger," Nereus said. "However, if there is nothing physical to remove or get you away from, the curse will do… other things."

"Like make us throw up because something is wrong and the curse is trying to get rid of it," Fontaine said.

"That's rather extreme," Finn huffed.

"And it can get worse," Nereus said.

"What do you mean?" Fontaine asked.

Nereus looked away. Fontaine hesitated to ask again. For once, Nereus didn't seem to be keeping quiet for the sake of being mysterious. His expression was too mournful.

"Nereus?" said Finn, who couldn't see Nereus. "Nereus, how can it get worse?"

"Like I said, the curse will remove you from danger in any way possible," Nereus said slowly. "In cases where the cursed are permanently separated, the curse may consider death to be the best option."

* * *

There was a pretty high chance that everyone heard Finn's "wait, what?!" but he didn't really care just then. Finn gave up crawling to stare at his tablet, sure there was a punchline to Nereus' very unfunny joke.

"What kind of protection curse _kills?_" Fontaine demanded.

"It's an Atlantean curse; who knows why they thought it was a good idea," Nereus said.

"That's the worst idea in the history of worst ideas!" Fontaine snapped.

"Nevertheless, you are stuck with the Atlantean curse," Nereus said.

"A curse that can just 'nope' us out of existence." Fontaine rubbed her face. "What's the cure?"

"If there was a cure, it was lost with the Atlanteans," Nereus said.

"Fantastic. Are you sure the curse could kill Finn and I?"

"Only in a very extreme situation," Nereus said. "Theoretically, if the separation was done calmly, you would be fine. As you are right now, however, the stress would cause the curse to… kick into overdrive, I believe the saying goes."

"Okay, okay…" Fontaine exhaled.

"I guess it's a good thing your parents still think I'm a ghost?" Finn tried.

"Yeah. Hard to get rid of a ghost." Fontaine shook her head. "How do you know the curse could kill us, Nereus?"

Nereus raised a beat-up scroll. "This scroll is the Guardians' most reliable source of information on the curse. The writer explains the effects of the curse."

"Why isn't there more information on the curse?" Fontaine asked. "You said there were other sources. Why is this one scroll so important?"

"It's Lemurian."

"Which… makes it more reliable?"

"For Guardians, yes."

Finn shrugged and resumed crawling. "Works for me. I just want answers. Why aren't there more scrolls written by Lemurians about the curse?"

"It's the only known case in which one of the cursed was Lemurian," Nereus said.

"And it's really reliable?" Fontaine asked.

"As reliable as one can get," Nereus said confidently.

"And that scroll makes you think Finn and I could die?"

"Yes."

Fontaine sighed. "Fine. But Mum and Dad have to hear it, too."

"Of course." Finn kept moving, hearing a moment later as Nereus said, "William, Kaiko, I believe you'll want to hear this."

"Fontaine, how are you feeling?" Kaiko asked.

"I'm fine, Mum."

"Are you sure? You're pale again. Maybe you should rest."

"No, I'm not tired, it's, um… about the curse…"

"What about the curse?"

Finn grinned at Kaiko's suddenly angry tone. He glanced at his tablet and saw Kaiko glaring at Nereus.

"Maybe Nereus should just tell you," Fontaine said.

"Ah, yes." Nereus spread the scroll. "As I explained to Fontaine, this scroll holds record of a Lemurian caught in the Atlantean's curse."

"When did it happen?" Will asked.

"Over six thousand years ago, before Lemuria was lost," Nereus said.

"And that's the only time it's in Lemurian records?"

"Lemurians and Atlanteans never mixed," Nereus explained. "The writer explains this as a mistake."

"What's the story?" Ant asked, clearly bored with the history.

"The writer tells of a Lemurian named Niko. He was from one of the royal branches."

"He was a prince?" Ant asked.

"Yes, but with little chance at ruling. He was the second son of the king's sister, so he would never have taken the throne."

"In Lemuria, younger siblings or cousins to the rulers were often trained as advisors or bodyguards for the Rulers. They were known as Guardians."

"Is that where the Guardians got their name?" Ant asked.

Nereus paused. "I don't know. Perhaps."

"So, Niko was a Guardian?" Will guessed.

"Yes, he was. Niko was cousin to Queen Doreus, having been born to the brother of her father. Aside from Niko and Queen Doreus, the royal line of this time is largely unknown. The writer, Nereus, recorded many stories about Lemuria, but apparently wasn't keen on bloodlines."

"The writer's name was Nereus?" Will asked.

"Yes, he is my namesake," Nereus said.

"Now, the story goes that Atlanteans were spotted on Lemurian borders," Nereus said, running a finger along the tattered scroll. "A patrol, which included Niko, was sent to drive them away. Battle ensued, and a single Atlantean was taken prisoner."

"The writer goes on to explain that Niko began to act oddly after the Atlantean was taken. He neglected his duties and became short-tempered. He was often seen in the prison where the Atlantean was being kept. And," Nereus tapped the paper, "His eyes glowed."

"As time passed, Niko began to suffer from a mysterious illness. The details aren't given, but Nereus does note that Niko's symptoms lessened when he visited the Atlantean.

"Unfortunately, Niko's visits to the prison couldn't go unnoticed for long. Nereus explains that it was decided that the Atlantean was to be executed before her influence caused Niko to do something drastic."

"However, it was too late for Niko. Two weeks after the Atlantean was captured, Niko devised a way to break her free. As he did, the guards arrived. Before the Atlantean could be recaptured, however, a giant shark with glowing markings broke down the prison walls."

Nereus peered over the top of the scroll. "Keep in mind, this story is before Lemuria was lost to the ocean."

Finn turned off the tablet and crawled around the last turn. He peered through the grate, seeing the Nekton family staring at Nereus with a mixture of awe and confusion.

"A giant glowing shark?" Kaiko repeated.

"I believe they are referred to as 'Megalodons' these days," Nereus clarified.

"That glowed?" Kaiko said. "I don't know, Nereus, that story seems far-fetched."

"Mum, we have seen a giant seahorse that glows," Ant offered.

Kaiko thought about it. "Fair enough. What happened next?"

"At this time, Niko revealed he didn't just plan to free the Atlantean, but to flee with her. Niko was confronted -likely by Nereus since no one else is mentioned- and convinced to stay. According to Nereus, even the Atlantean pleaded with Niko to stay in Lemuria with his family."

"Would that have been allowed?" Will asked. "After helping free a prisoner?"

"It could be argued that the curse forced him to free her," Nereus said. "Lemurians believed Atlanteans cursed others to do their bidding. This Nereus-" -Nereus waved the scroll- "-learned straight from an Atlantean that the curse worked both ways, and that the curse sought to protect both of the cursed."

"How is there no mention of this in the Chronicle? Who was this Nereus?" Will asked.

"He was probably just a scribe who was close to Niko," Nereus said dismissively.

"I still think it's a terrible protecting curse," Ant said. "I mean, 'protective curse'? The name doesn't even make sense!"

Will shushed Ant. "What happened next?"

Nereus' face fell. "Niko and the Atlantean forced themselves to go their separate ways. As more guards arrived, Niko's resistance to the curse became priority over recapturing the Atlantean. The shark took the Atlantean, and the guards held Niko."

Touching a few lines near the bottom of the scroll, Nereus read, "'The curse, however, is like a string, binding two together. I hoped the string would break once they were far enough apart.'"

"'It did, but how I wish I had known the cost. When the string snapped, so did Niko. You see, there is no escaping a curse, except in death.'"

Finn grit his teeth. He'd known how the story would end, but it didn't make it any easier.

Nereus finished, "'In the curse's attempt to keep them together, Niko and the Atlantean were joined again in death.'"

* * *

**A/N: If the string comparison just doesn't make sense, please let me know! I was trying for something, but it can be removed if need be. Also, I have a chapter for the next three, possibly four, days!**

**There's going to be a connected story called _Crossing the Line. _It was supposed to be a brief one-shot done by now, but it's panned out larger than I thought and it's basically all OC's, so I'm also scrambling together personalities and appearances.**


	56. Storm of Emotions

**A/N: Impulsive little piece I couldn't bring myself to cut.**

**Response to somnibel: Nothing can be chill for the Nektons. XD Thanks! I got low-key obsessed with Niko and the Atlantean, so I'm glad others are engaged in their story, too! **

* * *

The Nekton family could be described as an ocean. Will often felt he was the calm in the midst of the ocean. Kaiko was the rush of the waves, firm and unyielding. Ant was like a riptide, snagging you out of nowhere to sweep you to places unknown. Fontaine was the surf, rough and loud on the surface, but gentle under the surface.

Nereus' explanation of the curse shook them like a storm sweeping out of nowhere.

Will felt caught in a riptide, whipping him into unfamiliar waters and uncertainty. Kaiko shook and spoke quietly, a shoal under rippling waters. Ant spun faster than a whirlpool, high on curiosity and sinking in fear. Fontaine, somehow, was the calm one. A pocket of still waters in the midst of a raging sea.

* * *

**A/N: The only reason Finn hasn't jumped out by now is because he's exhausted.**


	57. Nereus' Warning

**A/N: Finally, here we go! I don't know what FF has against this chapter... it let me copy and paste the next chapter over on the first try, but this one kept doing that weird formatting thing. Anyway, thanks to Prophe-Cass, I was able to get it sorted!**

* * *

Will wished his hands would stop shaking. It was late and had been a long day. He wanted to sleep, but how could he, with Nereus' ominous prediction for his cursed daughter?

Will paced around his study table again, mind racing. He just couldn't understand how a curse could kill Fontaine, yet Fontaine didn't care. Or perhaps she was just good at hiding it. He ached to protect his daughter, but how could he protect against a curse?

"William, pacing won't do anything for Fontaine."

Will ignored the old man as he made another lap of his desk. Nereus sighed heavily and walked forward so he blocked Will.

"William, I mean it."

"What do you want me to do?" Will asked sharply.

"Listen," Nereus said simply.

Will eyed him. "Listen to what?"

"Listen to Fontaine," Nereus said. "The curse cannot harm her without her allowing it."

Will blinked. "I don't understand."

"Niko perished because he forced something he knew would fail," Nereus said. "The curse will push Fontaine to do what she needs to keep herself safe."

"What if the curse really is to the Atlantean's advantage?" Will challenged. "You said yourself that almost nothing is known about the curse. How do you know the curse won't force Fontaine into something that hurts her?"

"I just know."

Will shook his head and nearly asked _how_, but Nereus' face gave him pause. Nereus wasn't looking at him, but through him. A distant, sad smile flickered on his lips.

"Have you seen this before?" Will asked.

Nereus seemed to startle back to the present. "No, of course I haven't. But trust me when I say to listen to Fontaine. _Listen_, William, and Fontaine will tell you what she needs."

"And if she 'needs' something I think will harm her?" Will asked.

Nereus shook his head. "I told you all I know. Niko knew he needed to stay with the Atlantean, but forced himself to stay away for the sake of family. Look where that got him." Nereus locked eyes with Will. "Don't make the same mistake Niko's family did."

* * *

**A/N: Cue the dramatic music**


	58. The Tear Factor

**A/N: Guess who can't see reviews again? -author grumbling- I really wanted to know what you thought of the last chapter.**

** This chapter is a bit disjointed, admittedly. It would have been preferable if I could have dropped more subtle hints, but, eh. Finn's a smart cookie. And it's probably about time I gave you solid answers, eh?**

* * *

Finn was standing in a dark room. He squinted, unsure of where he was. Had he returned to his hideout, after Nereus' tale?

A slight noise made Finn turn. He saw he wasn't alone, as Fontaine was standing in the room as well. Her head was ducked and her hands were pressed against her face.

"Fontaine?" Finn asked.

Fontaine shuddered and she made the noise again. Recognizing the sound as a sniffle, Finn stiffened. Fontaine? Crying?

"Hey, Fontaine, what's wrong?"

Finn tried to go to Fontaine, but his steps didn't take him any closer. He persisted, to the same result, as Fontaine's whimpers grew louder.

"Fontaine!" Finn yelled. "I'm here!"

Fontaine's shoulders shook in sudden, wracking sobs. Tears leaked between her fingers, but they weren't normal tears. They _glowed_!

Finn's next step splashed. He looked down to see glowing water rising around his ankles. Where had it come from?

"Fontaine, we have to get out of here!"

Fontaine's tears flooded faster and faster from her covered face, pouring into the rising water. Or, tears?

"Fontaine!" Finn called. "Fontaine, what's going on?"

Rumbling made Finn look up. The tears illuminated stone walls and a vaulted stone ceiling. They weren't on the Aronnax!

Before Finn could make another move, one of the walls exploded inward. Luna's glowing head swung into the stone room, bellowing loudly.

"Luna?!"

_Clang!_

Finn lurched forward, clutching the back of his head with one hand. His other hand flung out to catch himself… but he was already laying down.

Blinking a couple times, Finn found himself in the darkened ducts. He stared for a minute, then dropped his head with a relieved sigh.

"Just a dream."

Rubbing his head, Finn lifted himself to his elbows. He shuffled to the grate and looked over the infirmary. It was empty.

Finn sighed and rested his forehead on the duct. He'd been a bit out of it after Nereus' tale, but the reality of the curse was hitting him just then.

If he and Fontaine were separated, they would die. How far away from each other was safe? Even if Finn did stay on the Aronnax for the foreseeable future, they had to know how far he and Fontaine could be apart from each other. Was it permanent? Would it only get worse?

"We're stuck," Finn growled, clenching his fists. "Fontaine's stuck. What if Nereus is wrong, and it's not a protection curse? What if it just kills us?"

Finn banged a fist on the duct. "Brilliant, Finn, just brilliant! Come on board and curse Fontaine. I'm going to get her killed. Stupid glowing… glow… glo- wait!"

_Clang!_

Finn sprawled on his stomach, wondering if he would get a concussion if he kept hitting his head. Nevertheless, Finn scrambled to his hands and knees. He turned, mind racing.

"Why didn't I see it before?" Finn huffed to himself. Did he dare hope…? "I have to find Nereus!"

* * *

"Proteus is getting impatient."

"Proteus has always been impatient," Nereus said without looking at his tablet. "He was a very impatient child."

"Okay, then Father is worried."

"Glaucus? Worried?" Nereus glanced down. "I think you exaggerate, Orrin."

The teenager on the screen grinned. "Nah, you should've seen him pacing."

"I was not pacing," Glaucus said, stepping sedately into view of the screen. "But where have you been, Nereus? We can't leave the Blue Hole unattended for long. We don't know what is down there yet."

"I know, I know. But the Nektons are the only people equipped for such an exploration," Nereus said. "And there's been… a situation here."

Orrin leaned closer, the shock of white hair in the midst of messy dark brown falling over his blue eyes. "What happened, Nereus?"

"I'll explain later," Nereus said.

"No, you won't. You'll just say this isn't a Guardian matter, but you still won't tell me!"

"Later, Orrin," Nereus insisted.

"Psst, Nereus!"

Distracted as he was, Nereus jumped a bit at the hissed voice. He collected himself and lowered his tablet to eye the grate in the wall.

"You should be resting, Finn."

"I am. Er, I was." The grate swung downward so Finn could poke his head out. "But I thought of something."

"Yes?" Nereus asked when Finn hesitated.

"The curse. Can it… make you… cry glowing tears?" Finn asked haltingly.

"Glowing tears?"

"I know, it sounds ridiculous." Finn shuffled in place. "But, can it?"

"I don't see why not," Nereus said.

Finn stilled. "Really?"

"Yes," Nereus said simply. "Why do you ask?"

"I…" Finn frowned. "I think I've seen it happen before."

Nereus' brows rose. "Where?"

"Not recently… but I think…"

Clearly lost in thought, Finn crawled away without answering. Bemused, Nereus just shook his head and closed the grate.

"Wow," Orrin said, having listened to the conversation. "He gives answers as well as you. Is he your new student?"

"No, Orrin, I gave up mentoring with Alpheus. Glaucus, I'll have the Nektons on site in the morning."

Nereus turned off his tablet. He didn't move for some time, mind wandering with half-thoughts of glowing tears and wayward students.

* * *

Elsewhere, Finn shuffled up to the grate in Fontaine's room. He was careful to not make any noise. He knew Fontaine had to be exhausted. He sure was, but he couldn't help the detour on the way to his hideout.

Sure enough, Fontaine was sound asleep, her snores rising from the bundle of blankets.

Finn smiled and put a hand on the grate. He desperately wanted to wake Fontaine to tell her his theory, but he'd have to wait for morning.

"It's okay, Fontaine," Finn whispered. "I know what this is now."

* * *

**A/N: The fun thing about writing Nereus is that he almost never explains how he knows various things. **

**Today's guest is Orrin, who came to be when Prophe-Cass brought up the name "Orrin" a few weeks ago. I really like the name, and the next thing I knew, Orrin showed up. XD**


	59. Playing at Normalcy

**A/N: Because FF _still _won't show me reviews, if you have any questions or concerns about the last two chapters (and this one, because I don't think reviews are functioning yet), please PM me!**

* * *

Despite the excitement of the previous day, Fontaine slept soundly through the night and woke early. She stared at the ceiling of her room for a while, expecting to fall back asleep, but she was wide awake.

Fontaine sighed and stretched, then experimentally sat up. Nothing ached and her head was clear, solidifying her theory about the illness just being the curse acting up.

Fontaine paused. "Guess I can't ignore the curse thing anymore…"

She shrugged and stood. She changed into her wetsuit, then called Finn's tablet. It opened automatically, showing an angled view of Finn still sleeping on the cot.

"He must have left his tablet on," Fontaine mused. "Hey, Finn, are you sleeping in today?"

When he didn't respond, Fontaine bit her lip. She squinted at the screen, remembering how Finn had passed out after the squid incident, but Finn sounded fine and he looked completely relaxed.

Fontaine closed the connection. Finn had had to move around more than Fontaine, who hadn't been allowed to take a single step, so maybe Finn just needed some extra sleep. Which made sense, but Fontaine had to worry a bit.

Fontaine shook her head and told herself she was overthinking it. She left her room and headed for the bridge. Kaiko would definitely be awake by now. And Will had noticed a message from an old friend of his; something about a creature he'd spotted. Her family was sure to investigate, and surely it wouldn't hurt if she joined them?

* * *

"No."

Fontaine blinked. "But, if I-"

"No, Fontaine," Will said sternly. "You aren't leaving the Aronnax so soon."

"Da-ad," Fontaine complained. "I thought you guys were done worrying over the curse taking me away or whatever."

Kaiko, sitting at her console, turned the chair. "That was before we knew your dying was a possibility."

"Mum, if I stay on the Aronnax for a second longer, I'm going to die of boredom!"

Fontaine's dramatic statement brought a smile to Will's face. Kaiko glanced at Will, mouth twitching, then turned back to her console.

Fontaine considered their response a win. Both of them had been so frantic over Nereus' story the previous day, Fontaine had had a hard time hiding her nervousness. She spent half the day reminding herself that Finn was on board and safe, and that nobody was taking him away. Nothing -not even the curse- could hurt them as long as she and Finn remained calm.

Now, after a good night's sleep, Fontaine was more than ready to get outside. She just had to convince her parents…

"Less than twenty-four hours ago, you were throwing up so much, you fainted," Kaiko said, sobering. "Even without the curse, you shouldn't exert yourself so much."

"I feel fine, though!" It was really hard to not whine, but Fontaine _was_ getting bored. "What if I was in the Rover with you? All I'd be doing is sitting."

Kaiko hesitated. Fontaine knew she had logic on her side, but if Kaiko thought going outside in even the Rover would be too much, Fontaine wouldn't be going anywhere.

"I really don't see the harm," Nereus said. "What could possibly go wrong?"

"Uh, we try to not say that on the Aronnax," Ant piped up. "Not after last time."

"What happened last time?" Nereus asked.

"We almost got eaten by giant squid," Ant said.

Nereus blinked at Ant. "You don't say."

"Yeah. We would have, too, if it hadn't been for Cooper."

The bridge fell silent at the mention of the resident ghost.

"Oh? And what did he do?" Nereus asked after a moment.

"Well, he didn't do anything about the squid, but he did fix the air supply. Or else we would have been fish food."

Fontaine resisted the urge to point out that "Cooper" had only been helpful. Arguing the intentions of a ghost wasn't going to sway her parents.

"Nereus," Will said thoughtfully. "What are we going to look at?"

"You know as much as I do," Nereus said. "You heard Ken's call."

"Uh-huh," Will said, not sounding convinced. "Ken isn't the easily spooked type, so I can't imagine why a diver would scare him so much."

"Maybe it wasn't human?" Ant suggested.

"He wouldn't have called it human if it wasn't human, Ant," Kaiko said, smiling.

"Do you have any idea how many 'looks human, but aren't really human' things there are in the ocean?" Ant asked. "You think you're looking at another human, then next thing you know, you're being dragged into the deepest depths of the ocean!"

"That's a… great mental picture," Fontaine said, remembering all the myths she'd heard and read.

Will frowned. "Ken called yesterday, but I haven't heard from him since. I hope he didn't investigate himself."

"Ken is safe."

Nereus' confident statement made everyone look at him.

"Did you see him on your way here?" Will asked.

"No, but some of my… associates met up with him."

Fontaine rolled her eyes. "You can just say 'Guardians,' Nereus."

"Rest assured, Ken's discovery is safe," Nereus went on.

"What discovery?" Kaiko asked.

"Whatever it was that he saw."

"Which you totally don't know anything about?" Fontaine said skeptically.

"I've been here since you got the call," Nereus defended himself.

"You knew about the sea worm."

"This, I know nothing about, believe me."

Fontaine just hummed, unconvinced. At the same time, Kaiko announced that they were nearly to where Ken had made the call.

"Will, Ant, suit up to dive," Kaiko said, turning. "Fontaine, you're with me in the Rover."

Fontaine perked up. "I can go?"

"Can't have you dying of boredom, after all," Kaiko said with a smile.

* * *

While Kaiko prepared the Rover, Fontaine retrieved her camera from her room. While she had a few minutes, she also called Finn.

This time, Finn was awake and had his head hanging off the edge of the cot. His hair was smushed sideways and his eyes drooped halfway, as though he'd just woken up.

"Hey, Finn, how do you feel today?" Fontaine asked, passing on the chance to tease his bedhead.

"_I sentio melior,_" Finn mumbled.

Fontaine laughed. "English, Finn."

"Better." Finn yawned. "I feel better. What time is it?"

"Just past seven."

"Really?"

"Yeah, pretty early still."

"That's late for me."

"Oh, yeah." Fontaine shook her head. "How do you do it? I've been up for over an hour. Two, if you count the half hour staring at the ceiling."

Finn blinked at the screen, then abruptly grinned. "It worked!"

"Uh… what worked? Are you awake for real?"

"Yeah, I'm awake," Finn said, sitting up and grabbing the tablet. "I tried something last night, and-"

Fontaine's comm beeped, then Kaiko asked, "Fontaine, are you coming?"

"Coming, Mum," Fontaine said, then turned her comm off. "Listen, we're going to investigate something a friend of Dad's saw. You'll have to tell me what you did later."

"Okay, that works. Are you sure you should go out?"

"Yep, and I'm raring to go. We're all going out, so you can stretch your legs if you need to. Talk to you later, bye!"

Finn waved, then Fontaine turned off her tablet, grabbed her camera, and dashed from the room. With any luck, her family would be in and out of the Blue Hole, and Fontaine could get back to Finn.

* * *

**A/N: Fontaine should really know better by now. XD Don't worry, things will pick up soon. That being said, just a reminder that I'm going to be largely AWOL for the next week and a half. Plus, the next chapter has a fairly large Reject parallel, so I'm working on that, too.**

**Finn translation: I feel better.**


End file.
